English term (edited): references (in context)

I will check the dictionary

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Note added at 6 mins (2005-03-06 18:06:28 GMT)
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I would say n° 7. Or maybe \"benchmark is appropriate.

ref·er·ence (rfr-ns, rfrns)
n.
1. An act of referring: filed away the article for future reference.
2.
a. Significance in a specified context: Her speeches have special reference to environmental policy.
b. Meaning or denotation.
3. The state of being related or referred: with reference to; in reference to.
4. A mention of an occurrence or situation: made frequent references to her promotion.
5.
a. A note in a publication referring the reader to another passage or source.
b. The passage or source so referred to.
c. A work frequently used as a source.
d. A mark or footnote used to direct a reader elsewhere for additional information.
6. Law
a. Submission of a case to a referee.
b. Legal actions conducted before or by a referee.
7.
a. A person who is in a position to recommend another or to vouch for his or her fitness, as for a job.
b. A statement about a person\'s qualifications, character, and dependability.
tr.v. ref·er·enced, ref·er·enc·ing, ref·er·ences
1. To supply references to: \"Our memories are addressed and referenced . . . by significant fragments of their own content\" Frederick Turner.
2. To mention in a reference; refer to: He referenced her book in his speech. See Usage Note at allude.

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refer·enc·er n.
refer·ential (--rnshl) adj.
refer·ential·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun 1. reference - a remark that calls attention to something or someone; \"she made frequent mention of her promotion\"; \"there was no mention of it\"; \"the speaker made several references to his wife\"
mention
comment, remark - a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief; \"from time to time she contributed a personal comment on his account\"
allusion - passing reference or indirect mention
retrospection - reference to things past; \"the story begins with no introductory retrospections\"
name-dropping - the practice of casually mentioning important people in order to impress your listener; \"the hard thing about name-dropping is to avoid being too obvious about it\"
2. reference - a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage; \"the student\'s essay failed to list several important citations\"; \"the acknowledgments are usually printed at the front of a book\"; \"the article includes mention of similar clinical cases\"
quotation, mention, acknowledgment, citation, credit
annotation, notation, note - a comment or instruction (usually added); \"his notes were appended at the end of the article\"; \"he added a short notation to the address on the envelope\"
photo credit - a note acknowledging the source of a published photograph
cross-index, cross-reference - a reference at one place in a work to information at another place in the same work
3. reference - an indicator that orients you generally; \"it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved\"
point of reference, reference point
bench mark, benchmark - a surveyor\'s mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point
landmark - a mark showing the boundary of a piece of land
lubber line, lubber\'s line, lubber\'s mark, lubber\'s point - a fixed line on a ship\'s compass indicating its heading
criterion, standard, touchstone, measure - a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; \"they set the measure for all subsequent work\"
target, mark - a reference point to shoot at; \"his arrow hit the mark\"
white line - a white stripe in the middle of a road to mark traffic lanes
indicator - a signal for attracting attention
buoy - bright-colored; a float attached by rope to the seabed to mark channels in a harbor or underwater hazards
4. reference - a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts; \"he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic\"
book of facts, reference book, reference work
book - a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together); \"I am reading a good book on economics\"
cookbook, cookery book - a book of recipes and cooking directions
instruction book - a book of directions for using or operating some piece of equipment
source book - a collection of historically important documents published together as a book
wordbook - a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings)
enchiridion, handbook, vade mecum - a concise reference book providing specific information about a subject or location
directory - an alphabetical list of names and addresses
annual, yearbook - a reference book that is published regularly once every year
book of maps, map collection, atlas - a collection of maps in book form
cyclopaedia, cyclopedia, encyclopaedia, encyclopedia - a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
5. reference - a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person\'s qualifications and dependability; \"requests for character references are all to often answered evasively\"
character reference, character
good word, recommendation, testimonial - something that recommends (or expresses commendation) of a person or thing as worthy or desirable
6. reference - the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; \"the extension of `satellite of Mars\' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos\"
denotation, extension
meaning, substance - the idea that is intended; \"What is the meaning of this proverb?\"
7. reference - the act of referring or consulting; \"reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer\"
consultation
action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); \"there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions\"
8. reference - a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to; \"he carried an armful of references back to his desk\"; \"he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation\"
source
publication - a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
9. reference - the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to; \"he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes\"
meaning, substance - the idea that is intended; \"What is the meaning of this proverb?\"
Verb 1. reference - refer to; \"he referenced his colleagues\' work\"
cite
authorship, penning, writing, composition - the act of creating written works; \"writing was a form of therapy for him\"; \"it was a matter of disputed authorship\"
indite, pen, write, compose - produce a literary work; \"She composed a poem\"; \"He wrote four novels\"

Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Examples from classic literature: More
\"Reference\" of beliefs differs from \"meaning\" of words in various ways, but especially in the fact that it is of two kinds, \"true\" reference and \"false\" reference.
The Analysis of Mind by Russell, Bertrand View in context
It is not a part of the plan of this book to present any extended bibliography, but there are certain reference books to which the student\'s attention should be called.
A History of English Literature by Fletcher, Robert Huntington View in context
The merits of a broken speculation, or a bankruptcy, or of a successful scoundrel, are not gauged by its or his observance of the golden rule, \'Do as you would be done by,\' but are considered with reference to their smartness.
American Notes for General Circulation by Dickens, Charles


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Note added at 8 mins (2005-03-06 18:08:19 GMT)
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Sorry there is so much to read but at least you have lots of answers from:
www.thefreedictionary.com/references