denotation

noun6

1. •
   The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.

   • The denotations of the two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" are the same (i.e. both expressions denote the planet Venus), but their connotations are different.
2. •
   The intension and extension of a word
3. •
   Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol
4. •
   Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics
5. •
   A first level of analysis: what the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor.
6. •
   The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes