Denotation definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DENOTATION, n. The act of denoting.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of indicating or pointing out by name [syn: indication, denotation]
2: the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; "the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos" [syn: reference, denotation, extension]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: circa 1532 1. an act or process of denoting 2. meaning; especially a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea 3. a. a denoting term ; name b. sign, indication <visible denotations of divine wrath> 4. the totality of things to which a term is applicable especially in logic — compare connotation

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Denotation De`no*ta"tion, n. [L. denotatio: cf. F. d['e]notation.] The marking off or separation of anything. --Hammond.