referent

 
Pronunciation: /ˈrɛf(ə)r(ə)nt/

noun

Linguistics
  • the thing in the world that a word or phrase denotes or stands for: ‘the Morning Star’ and ‘the Evening Star’ have the same referent (the planet Venus)

Origin:

mid 19th century: from Latin referent- 'bringing back', from the verb referre (see refer)