the.com/referent
the actual thing your word is pointing at, out there in the world, not the word itself.
means in semantics, the referent is the real object, person, or concept that a sign or symbol stands for, as opposed to the sign itself or the idea in your head.
from from latin referre, to carry back or relate — coined into linguistic use as thinkers like ogden and richards split meaning into three parts: symbol, thought, and the actual referent in the world.
triangle modelsymbol and thought connect, but not directly to referent
no referent problemwords like unicorn have sense but no real referent
same referentmorning star and evening star both mean venus
context shifts iti changes referent with every different speaker
for instance
morning star — frege's classic example, same referent as evening star: venus
the word dog — refers to actual dogs, not the three-letter word itself
pronoun she — referent changes completely depending on who is speaking