| denotation |
| Definition: A word's literal meaning. Note: As opposed to connotation, which is the additional ideas and feelings that the word evokes. |
| Example: The word apartheid denotes a political regime of a certain type; it connotes much more. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Latin de, completely + notare, to mark. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The first OED citation of the word in this sense is from 1614: "Time hath brought the word knaue to a denotation of ill qualities." (Selden Titles Hon. 341) |