Online Reference

The word reference tacles different definitions depend in how it is being used in a sentence.

In English dictionary;

-noun
“An act or instance of referring.”
-verb

“to furnish (a book, dissertation, etc.) with references: Each new volume is thoroughly referenced. ”

In Web definitions;

• mention: a remark that calls attention to something or someone; “she made frequent mention of her promotion”; “there was no mention of it”; “the speaker made several references to his wife”

• citation: a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage; “the student’s essay failed to list several important citations”; “the acknowledgments are usually printed at the front of a book”; “the article includes mention of similar clinical cases”

• reference point: an indicator that orients you generally; “it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved”

In programming definitions;

• – In computer science, a reference is a value that enables a program to indirectly access a particular data item, such as a variable or a record, in the computer’s memory or in some other storage device. …
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_(computer_science)

• – A reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. That is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. …en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_(work)
• – In the C++ programming language, a reference is a simple reference datatype that is less powerful but safer than the pointer type inherited from C. …

The definition of reference differs of how it is being used in every situation.

The root definition of “Reference” is that It is a set guide, manual, or instructions
of a specific information that will give a brief idea of the specific information.”