释义 |
▪ I. reference, n.|ˈrɛfərəns| [f. refer v. + -ence; cf. conference, deference, inference, etc. and mod.F. référence.] 1. a. The act or expedient of referring or submitting a matter, esp. a dispute or controversy, to some person or authority for consideration, decision, or settlement (in legal use spec. to the Masters in Ordinary of the Court of Chancery).
1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xix. (Arb.) 234 Epitropis, or the Figure of Reference. This manner of speech is vsed when..hauing said inough already, we referre the rest to their consideration. 1609Daniel Civ. Wars viii. lv, We will our selfe take time to heare Your Cause at large: wherein we wil you haue No other reference, but repaire to vs. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. xiii. 408 References and compositions he hates as bad as an hangman hates a pardon. 1678Wycherley Plain Dealer iii. i, Art thou a solicitor in chancery, and offer a reference? 1745De Foe's Eng. Tradesman xxxix. (1841) II. 119 When two tradesmen of this pacific temper meet, a reference never fails to put an end to all disputes between them. 1834Penny Cycl. II. 251/1 If the arbitrator refuses or ceases to act, the reference is at an end. 1836Ibid. VI. 484/1 It would be impossible to specify every head of reference to the Masters. 1863H. Cox Instit. i. vii. 71 In some instances the peerage has been allowed without reference to the House of Lords. b. spec. in Sc. Law. (See refer v. 6 b.)
1752McDouall Inst. Laws Scot. iv. xxxii. II. 655 This reference to the deferrors oath will not be allowed if it is done invidiously or fraudulently. 1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) IX. 714/1 The reference is a virtual contract between the litigants. 1853Act 16 Vict. c. 20 §5 The adducing of any party as a witness..shall not have the effect of a reference to the oath of the party so adduced. c. The authority or standard referred to. rare.
1599Massinger, etc. Old Law v. i, Whom, for his manifest virtues, we make such judge and censor of youth, and the absolute reference of life and manners. 1861Goldw. Smith Lect. Mod. Hist. ii. 69 Universal expediency and the fitness of things are ultimate and distant references, if they are not altogether beyond the range of our vision. †2. Assignment. Obs.—1
1604Shakes. Oth. i. iii. 238, I craue fit disposition for my Wife, Due reference of Place, and Exhibition. 3. a. Relation, relationship, respect, regard to some thing or person.
1593G. Harvey Pierce's Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 108 In every enterprise..[Resolution] hath..a regard to worth, a respect to assurance, and a reference to the end. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. i. iii. 129 What will you be call'd? Cel. Something that hath a reference to my state. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 456 Man in this consideration stands in a two⁓fold respect and reference to God, publick and private. a1704T. Brown Sat. Antients Wks. 1730 I. 14 Satura is an Adjective, which has Reference to a Substantive understood. 1736Butler Anal. ii. v. Wks. 1874 I. 223 The world is a..system, whose parts have a mutual reference to each other. 1821Scott Kenilw. xviii, A strange smile, which yet bore a greater reference to the human character. 1850McCosh Div. Govt. i. ii. (1874) 39 All things sublunary have a reference more or less direct to man. b. in or with reference to, with respect or regard to; † with a view to, according to.
1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. viii. §6 The knowledge of that which man is in reference unto himself, and other things in relation unto man. 1662Gerbier Princ. 35 Neither are the Vessels of Silver but in reference to the Neatness which ought to be observed in all Cookery. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ i. vi. §9 The contradictions in reference to the ægyptian History between Manetho, Herodotus [etc.]. 1700Maidwell in Collect. (O.H.S.) I. 311 The scholars, in reference to his thoughts, are not to exceed the number of 60. 1704Swift T. Tub ix, If we take this Definition of Happiness, and examine it with Reference to the Senses, it will be acknowledged wonderfully adapt. 1840Lardner Geom. 289 The same notation as was used to express the properties of the ellipse in reference to its axes. 1894H. Drummond Ascent Man 266 All existing lives must, with reference to their environment, be the best possible lives. c. without reference to, without regard to, without consideration of or for.
1846Landor Imag. Conversat., Southey & Porson ii. Wks. I. 74/2, I will tell you what is applicable on all occasions..without reference to weak or common minds. 1877Cassell's Techn. Educ. III. 373/1 By these means the whole of the area treated as a plane surface—that is, without reference to its differences of level—will be mapped. d. Logic and Linguistics. The act or state of referring through which one term or concept is related or connected to another or to objects in the world; also as objective reference, and attrib. as reference class, reference property.
1883F. H. Bradley Princ. Logic I. i. ii. 55 Judgment is not the synthesis of ideas, but the reference of ideal content to reality. a1914C. S. Peirce Coll. Papers (1933) III. xix. 366 Dyadic relations..which can only subsist between two subjects of different categories of being..may advantageously be termed a reference. 1927Ogden & Richards Meaning of Meaning (ed. 2) i. 9 It is Thought (or, as we shall usually say, reference) which is directed and organized, and it is also Thought which is recorded and communicated. 1946C. I. Lewis Knowledge & Valuation x. 270 This property ψ may be called the reference property. Ibid. 271 The class of things having it [sc. a property] may be called the reference class. 1951G. Humphrey Thinking viii. 228 In its original form as the ‘problem of meaning’ the question has to be obscured by the invention of new descriptive terms such as transcendent reference, objective reference or context in order to satisfy the scientific conscience. 1956G. Ryle in A. J. Ayer Revol. in Philos. 7 Both [Frege and Bradley] saw that it is..intrinsic to a thought to be true or false, or to have ‘objective reference’. 1959K. R. Popper Logic Sci. Discovery viii. 155 This class α, which is assumed to be non-empty, serves, as it were, as a frame of reference, and will be called a (finite) reference-class. 1972Language XLVIII. 446 In order to understand problems of semantic theory, it is crucial to understand why most philosophers think of the notion of reference as the key element in such theories. Reference is the relation between singular term and bearer, as well as between general predicate and the entities of which the predicate is true. With the notion of reference go the notions of naming, describing, and—therefore—truth. 1974P. F. Strawson Subject & Predicate ii. 47 Hearer and speaker should each understand the name..as having a certain unique reference; and..the reference should be the same for each of them. e. Sociol. and Psychol. The process by which or the extent to which an individual establishes a relation with elements in society as a standard for comparing status and values (see also frame of reference s.v. frame n. 4 d (ii)). Freq. attrib. (see also reference group in sense 8 a below).
1937G. Murphy et al. Exper. Social Psychol. (rev. ed.) iv. 220 A laboratory situation is set in which social factors determine a reference frame which must be used by the subject in perceiving. 1947Sherif & Cantril Psychol. of Ego-Involvements vi. 137 Judgments of the physical characteristics of others..become..ego-involving judgments in which an individual uses himself..as a central point of reference. 1948M. & C. Sherif Outl. Social Psychol. xviii. 621 This ordering of responses held whether a respondent made as many as nineteen consensual references or as few as one. 1956Gardner & Thompson Social Relations & Morale v. 23 Displacements of the distributions of scores along the reference continuum. Ibid. vii. 43 The most general reference population..would be: ‘All the persons (living or dead) you have..known in any way’. 4. a. An allusion or directing of attention to some thing or person.
1613R. Cawdrey Table Alph., Reference, a pointing at, or alluding to. 1754Richardson Grandison Vl. xxxi. 203 By his eye (taking the reference, as I may call it, of hers) turned as often towards me. 1784Cowper Ep. J. Hill 13 Were I called to prove the assertion true, One proof should serve—a reference to you. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) III. 171 Without a reference to any word in the writ which connected the person with the tenure. 1865Trollope Belton Est. xxiii. 271 No reference had been made to the former conversation. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 387 The later dialogues of Plato contain many references to contemporary philosophy. b. Without article.
1825Scott Talism. xxviii, The shield of the Marquis bore, in reference to his title, a serrated and rocky mountain. 1858Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. II. 21 Demonstrating it..by reference to the points which he criticised. 1891H. Matthews in Law Times XCII. 96/1, I briefly summarise them, so that reference to previous circulars on the subject may not be necessary. 5. a. A direction to a book, passage, etc., where certain information may be found; an indication of the author, work, page, etc., to be looked at or consulted. Also without article.
1612Brinsley Lud. Lit. xiii. (1627) 188 If they had but only bookes of References, it would be exceeding profitable. 1716M. Davies Athen. Brit. III. 192 Not one Reader in a hundred takes the pains to turn backwards and forwards, as such appendicular References require. 1727–41Chambers Cycl. s.v., References are also used in books, where things being but imperfectly handled, the reader is directed to some other part or place where they are more amply explained. 1779–81Johnson L.P., Fenton, Illustrations drawn from a book so easily consulted, should be made by reference rather than transcription. 1864Max Müller Chips (1880) III. vi. 137 He does not load his pages with references and learned notes. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 4 By numerous references from one part of the work to another. b. A mark or sign referring the reader to another part of a page or book (esp. from the text to a note), or serving to indicate the part of a figure or diagram referred to.
1678Moxon Mech. Exerc. No. 6. 107, I have..left out the Superiour Letters..and instead of those References give you this Alphabetical Table of Terms. 1706Phillips (ed. Kersey). 1771Luckombe Hist. Print. 257 References are all such Marks and Signs as are used in matter which has either side or bottom Notes. [1806O. Gregory Treat. Mech. II. 163 The same letters of reference being put to the corresponding parts in these figures.] 1862Catal. Internat. Exhib. II. xiii. 18/2 References—A. Cylinder. B. Stern [etc.]. 6. a. The act of referring one person to another for information or an explanation; hence, a person to whom one is (or may be) referred for this purpose; spec. = referee n. 4.
1815Scott Guy M. li, I request..that you will refer Mr. Bertram to me for the reason. You will naturally wish to know what is to be the issue of such a reference. 1837Dickens Let. 24 Feb. (1965) I. 238, I have..taken the liberty of mentioning your name, among those of other references, to testify to my being ‘sober and honest’. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. i. ii., Like the advertising people, I don't ask you to trust me, without offering a respectable reference. Mortimer there is my reference, and knows all about it. 1884Law Times Rep. L. 121/1 P. was not called upon by the auctioneer for any references as to his alleged agency. 1934D. L. Sayers Nine Tailors ii. ii. 95 ‘Did he give you any references?’.. ‘Yes..he did. He give me the name of a garridge in London..and..said if I was to write to the boss, he'd put in a word for him.’ b. A (usu. written) report produced by a referee (referee n. 4); a testimonial.
1895in Funk's Stand. Dict. 1924Galsworthy White Monkey ii. ix. 197 That was my first job since the war, so I can whistle for a reference. 1936Punch 21 Oct. 467/1 ‘I have references, excellent references... Here is one from a lady in Eaton Square.’ (Hands it to the employer.) 1940G. D. H. & M. Cole Counter-Point Murder viii. 85 Corcoran said he wrote to us taking up the reference, and got back a letter speaking very highly of the firm. 1976‘P. B. Yuill’ Hazell & Menacing Jester ii. 27 ‘Did Thornton get another job?’ ‘Nobody's asked me for a reference.’ 7. book, etc. of reference, one intended to be, or suitable for being, referred to or consulted. for reference, for the purpose of consulting or being consulted.
1836Penny Cycl. V. 455/1 Dictionaries and lexicons in all languages, with more than 8000 books of reference. 1845Stocqueler Handbk. Brit. India (1854) 172 The advantages of a library of reference and a circulating library. 1859E. Edwards Mem. Libraries II. 634 What are in a special sense termed books of reference such as Collections, Encyclopædias, Lexicons, Dictionaries, etc. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 137 [They have] got an album, for reference, at all the chief police stations. 8. attrib. a. gen., as reference bible, reference book, reference catalogue, reference librarian, reference library, reference mark, reference point, reference room; reference book, (a) a book used for reference purposes; cf. book of reference in sense 7; (b) S. Afr., an identity document or group of documents officially introduced in 1952 or the name for a pass (see pass n.2 8 f), regulating movement in particular areas, which all non-white residents must carry (replaced in 1977 by ‘travel documents’: see quot. 1977 s.v. pass n.2 8 f); reference electrode Electr., an electrode the potential of which can be accurately maintained and reproduced, and in relation to which other potentials can be measured; reference frame = frame of reference s.v. frame n. 4 d; occas. transf.; reference group Sociol. and Psychol., a group to which a person may or may not belong but which he, perhaps subconsciously, refers to as a standard in forming his attitudes and behaviour; reference tube Electr., a cold-cathode gas-filled tube which can maintain an accurately fixed voltage across itself for long periods.
1860G. M. [F. W. Robinson] Grandmother's Money vi. vi, A little reference-bible on the dressing-table.
1889Cent. Dict., Reference book. 1952[see pass n.2 8 f]. 1954L. G. Green Under Sky like Flame xii. 174 On the Gold Coast cooks carry a reference book. 1960Observer 27 Mar. 16/4 Failure to produce a reference book on demand is a criminal offence. 1967[see author v.]. 1969Golden City Post July 3 The thugs..robbed him of his money, reference book and personal documents. 1970C. L. Cline Lett. George Meredith I. p. xxxii, The inaccessibility of reference books in provincial towns may also have contributed to the slothfulness of the editing. 1971Drum Mar. 4 They walked purposefully towards the women who searched themselves for their reference books. But it was not the reference books the policemen wanted. 1971Rand Daily Mail 27 Mar. 2/2 The vast majority of short-term prison sentences are for minor statutory offences connected with Bantu influx control, taxation and reference book regulations. 1972Physics Bull. Apr. 225/2 For a reference book the index is inadequate.
1885Athenæum 14 Mar. 346/2 The new volume of Mr. Whitaker's ‘Reference Catalogue’.
1926Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. XLVIII. 34 The effect of temperature upon the potential of reference electrodes. 1948Glasstone Textbk. Physical Chem. (ed. 2) xii. 940 There is no reliable method known for determining the absolute potential of a single electrode. The only sound procedure is to combine the electrode with a reference electrode of known potential difference and to measure the E.M.F. of the resulting cell. 1975M. R. Jenkins in Williams & Wilson Biologist's Guide to Princ. & Techniques Pract. Biochem. vii. 202 Calomel electrodes..are the most common reference electrodes and they consist of a solution of mercurous chloride (calomel) and potassium chloride in contact with solid mercurous chloride and mercury.
1921J. M. Bird Relativity & Gravitation ii. 36 (heading) The reference frame for space. 1940C. S. Sherrington Man on his Nature ii. 62 There was as yet no reference-frame of natural law, of chemistry or physics, by help of which to orientate the natural fact. 1967[see frame n. 4 d (i)]. 1970Nature 17 Oct. 272/2 In deriving the equations of the electromagnetic field in a rotating reference frame, Schiff used the explicit transformation to rotating co⁓ordinates.
1942H. H. Hyman Psychol. of Status ii. 37 Satisfaction with status is consequently also a function of the reference group, since the reference group is a variable of the judgment. 1957Jrnl. Abnormal & Social Psychol. LV. 360/1 Attention has also been given to the influence of his reference groups: the groups in which he aspires to attain or maintain membership. 1969Times 14 Apr. 7/3 The two groups of farmers have different reference groups, a different set of individuals with which they will compete for status and recognition. 1970C. T. Restrepo in I. L. Horowitz Masses in Lat. Amer. xiv. 542 The absence of contacts—and hence the lack of visibility of reference groups—has kept the peasants unaware even of their own needs. 1973‘J. Patrick’ Glasgow Gang Observed xiii. 115 Tim's reference group for clothes was the teenage record scene. 1977R. Holland Self & Social Context v. 119 The area of social theory most closely related to that of role, namely ‘reference group’ research.
1951L. I. Edwards in J. D. Stewart Reference Librarian iii. 61 Theoretically the reference librarian should know something about everything because of the varied nature of the queries received. 1978W. White in W. Whitman's Daybks. & Notebks. I. 87 For this information and other help I am grateful to George A. Masterton, reference librarian at Wayne State University.
1858in E. Edwards Mem. Libraries (1859) II. 707 The large hall for the reference Library. 1860[see art gallery s.v. art n. 18]. 1976Nature 1 Apr. 466/3 This book is a ‘must’ and it certainly deserves space on a shelf of every reference library. 1977Evening Post (Nottingham) 24 Jan. 3/2 Now there is a reference library, a craft work base, and two other areas into which children can move for private reading and study.
1856N. & Q. 1st Ser. Index, Reference marks.
1884Reference-point [see bench-mark b]. 1936M. Sherif Psychol. of Social Norms vi. 96 This subjectively established standard or norm serves as a reference point with which each successive experienced movement is compared and judged to be short. 1977Rolling Stone 5 May 33/1, I really do think Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen and the Who are the most appropriate reference points for rock and roll.
1960Electronic Engin. XXXII. 218 Studies were confined to neon-filled tubes..having molybdenum anodes and cathodes and employing high-stability reference-tube manufacturing techniques. 1962G. A. T. Burdett Automatic Control Handbk. vii. 23 The primary duty of the reference tube..is to provide voltage which can be accurately maintained within close limits for long periods. b. In extended scientific and technical use denoting an object, property, value, or the like, used as a basis for comparative measurement or standardization. Also absol.
1878J. W. Draper Sci. Mem. ii. 57, I had previously passed through the slit a beam of sunlight reflected from a mirror, so as to have a reference spectrum with fixed lines. 1901Shop & Foundry Pract. III. xxvii. 23 Reference gauges are gauges that represent either an accurate subdivision of the imperial yard, or some arbitrary size or shape adopted for some purpose and required to be preserved. 1941C. O. Fairchild et al. Temperature 305 It is not always possible to maintain the reference junctions..at a desired temperature during the calibration of a thermocouple. 1941K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 3) xxi. 775 A convenient and consistently accurate method of measuring the amplitude of the signals is required, as well as a reference level common to the entire system. 1952Markus & Zeluff Electronics for Communication Engin. ix. 342/1 This cavity has a high Q and is used as the frequency reference. 1953Amos & Birkinshaw Television Engin. I. i. 20 D.c. restoration is only possible provided the picture signal contains a reference signal related to black level and the television waveform therefore includes such a signal. 1966Williams & Fleming Spectrosc. Methods Org. Chem. iv. 81 The positions of proton resonances in an NMR spectrum are measured relative to the resonance position of the twelve equivalent protons of an arbitrary reference substance, tetramethylsilane. 1975D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xix. 3 The reference pressure for sounds in air, corresponding to 0 dB, has been defined as a sound pressure of 0·0002 microbar. 1978P. W. Atkins Physical Chem. xxix. 968 The potentiometer reading is used in the normal way to find its new potential relative to the reference.
Add:[7.] b. A book or work of reference; a reference book. U.S.
1972Publishers Weekly 10 Apr. 20 (Advt.), Webster's Intermediate Dictionary is the newest—and brightest—member of the Merriam–Webster family of dictionaries and references. 1973Sci. Amer. Jan. 108/2 The Guide to Simulation Games for Education and Training... This valuable reference is available from Information Resources, Inc. 1977Verbatim May 8/1 (Advt.), This one-of-a-kind reference tells you everything you've always wanted to know about your favorite fictional sleuths and their creators. ▪ II. reference, v.|ˈrɛfərəns| [f. prec.] 1. †a. trans. To refer, assign to a thing. Obs. rare.
1621W. Sclater Tythes (1623) 93 Where the dutie is Religious, and the injunction meerely referenced to pietie. 1627― Exp. 2 Thess. (1629) 20 Particular proceedings, referenced as well to good as bad. b. To relate (a measurement) to a defined base or zero level.
1971Nature 3 Sept. 51/2 A complete separation of the explosion population from the earthquake population is obtained when referenced to the arbitrary decision line. 1972Science 23 June 1349/3 The intensity of the sound was as high as 80 db (referenced to 0·0002 dyne/cm2). 2. To provide with references; to give a reference to (a passage); to find by reference.
1891N. & Q. 7th Ser. XII. 303/2 This loose method of indexing adds greatly to the labour of referencing a passage. 1894Daily News 28 Feb. 6/2 The passages illustrating the use of words..have..been duly referenced. 1971Nature 3 Sept. 71/3 Each chapter is very fully referenced. 1972Physics Bull. May 295/3 The book is well produced and well referenced. 1975Nature 3 Apr. p. iv (Advt.), Published as a two-book set for easier handling, each part is fully referenced and illustrated. 1977Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXV. 451/2 One BCS paper is referenced on page 35 of the White Paper Cmd. 6354. 1978Sci. Amer. Jan. 28/3 The version we see (not explicitly referenced) is probably from an edition of about 100 years ago or from a 20th-century reprint. 1980Encounter May 16/2 It is enough to remember that Ferrar and Debenham's formulation of the sequence of Beacon rocks is still referenced today. 3. intr. To make out a return of the number of people to be displaced by proposed railway extension. Also trans. to schedule (property) for this purpose.
1884[implied at referencing vbl. n. below]. 1891Daily News 31 Oct. 3/8 To acquire certain important properties, which are now being referenced, for the purpose of greatly enlarging..Victoria Station. Hence ˈreferenced ppl. a., ˈreferencing vbl. n.; also ˈreferencer.
1884Cassell's Mag. Apr. 287/1 The solicitors..send out men called ‘referencers’ to ascertain the names of all the owners, lessees, and occupiers of the property within the limits of deviation. 1884Cassell's Mag. Apr. 288/2 The united cost for..surveys, referencing, printing, fees, parliamentary agents, and so on. 1971Nature 30 Apr. 602/1 It is a very good book indeed—but it could have been excellent if just a little extra thought had gone into the original plan and an extra month into the final editing and referencing. 1972Science 5 May 503/3 The authors..give an additional line of the frequently quoted but never referenced turbulence poem by Richardson (1922) beginning ‘Big whorls have little whorls’. 1978Nature 14 Dec. 739/2 The referencing, which includes entries up to the first half of 1976, is impressive. |