Reference

A reference, is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back" formed from a prefix re- and ferre, "to bear". A large number of words derive from this root, including referee, reference, referendum, all retaining the basic meaning of the original Latin as "a point, place or source of origin" that something of comparable nature can be defined in terms of. A referee is the provider of this source of origin, and a referent is the possessor of the source of origin, whether it is knowledge, matter or energy.
Because of its meaning, the word refe ...more

Most Read This Week Tagged "Reference"

Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die

The Pioneer Woman Cooks―The Essential Recipes: 120 Greatest Hits, New Twists, and Perfected Classics

We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions

Murdle: Volume 1, 100 Elementary to Impossible Mysteries to Solve Using Logic, Skill, and the Power of Deduction

Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Revised and Updated)

The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms

The Glucose Goddess Method: The 4-Week Guide to Cutting Cravings, Getting Your Energy Back, and Feeling Amazing

Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach and Recipes To Repeat

Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control

How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It)

ADHD for Smart Ass Women: How to Fall in Love with Your Neurodivergent Brain

The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

More most read this week tagged "reference"...

Reference Books

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association(r)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression, Second Edition (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 1)

More reference books...

Lists

From GSM to LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G by Martin Sauter

IPv6 Deployment and Management by Michael Dooley

The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It by Jonathan L. Zittrain

Telecommunications (Non-Fiction)

46 books — 10 voters

Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Arou... by Tony DiTerlizzi

John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop by John Howe

Best Books For Fantasy Artists

28 books — 27 voters

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee

Big Book of Unique Names for Characters by Aimard R.Makneda

Great books for Character Design

47 books — 19 voters

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Dr. Julie Visits Cowboy Mike and Winston by Michael Eastwood

Favorite picture books

509 books — 369 voters

Julian Assange - The Unauthorised Autobiography by Julian Assange

The World Wide Web (Non-Fiction)

11 books — 9 voters

History of disease

163 books — 68 voters

Related Genres

Nonfiction
Research
Guides
Trivia

Field Guides
Dictionaries
Guidebook

Featured News & Interviews

Get Ready! Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Reference”

“ To my sister's eyes, there is nothing which cannot be explained if one has access to a proper reference library. ...more ”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

2 likes

“ If there is ever anything you want to know, you just ask me and we'll find the answer in a book." This was a wonderful thing to hear and I believed her. ...more ”
― Lucia Berlin, A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories

4 likes

More quotes...