WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Ref"er*ence (rf"r-ens)
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [See Refer.]
Definition : 1. The act of referring, or the state of being referred; as, reference to a chart for quidance.

2. That which refers to something; a specific direction of the attention; as, a reference in a text-book.

3. Relation; regard; respect. Something that hath a reference to my state. Shak.

4. One who, or that which, is referred to. Specifically; (a) One of whom inquires can be made as to the integrity, capacity, and the like, of another. (b) A work, or a passage in a work, to which one is referred.

5. (Law) (a) The act of submitting a matter in dispute to the judgment of one or more persons for decision. (b) (Equity)

Defn: The process of sending any matter, for inquiry in a cause, to a master or other officer, in order that he may ascertain facts and report to the court.

6. Appeal. [R.] "Make your full reference." Shak. Reference Bible, a Bible in which brief explanations, and references to parallel passages, are printed in the margin of the text.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913