Reference
/ˈrɛf.ər.əns/noun
A mention of something as a source of information, support, or comparison.
Did you know?Reference comes from a Latin verb meaning “to carry back,” so a citation is literally a thing you are sent back to—almost like the word itself is an act of retrieval.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bher-
“to carry, bear”
Latin
Latin
referre
“to carry back, report, bring back”
Late Latin
Latin
referentia
“a referring back, relation”
Old French
Old French
reference
“relation, respect, mention”
14th–15th Century
English
reference
“act of referring to something; relation or respect”
Modern English
English
reference
“a mention, citation, or source of information”