Meaning ofreferencein English

Noun

1. a standard for comparison; a basis
2. information from a acquainted person; a testimonial
3. a citation of a published work; a source
   The researcher included a reference to the study in her paper.
4. a previously published work; used as a source
   The book is a valuable reference for students of history.
5. a work or source for information; consultation
   The librarian helped students find a reference for their research project.
6. a link to external data (in computing)
   The programmer added a reference to the external database in the code.