| denotatum |
| Definition -
The actually existing entity that the linguistic expression labels.
Notes: 1. As opposed to the designatum , which is any object or class of objects — whether existing or not — that the linguistic expression labels. |
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Example - The class of objects we call horses is both a denotatum and a designatum. |
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Etymology - The word derives from the Latin denotatum, the neuter past participle of denotare, to denote. |
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Oxford English Dictionary - Its first citation is from 1938: "Where what is referred to actually exists as referred to[,] the object of reference is a denotatum. It thus becomes clear that, while every sign has a designatum, not every sign has a denotatum …." (C. W. Morris in Internat. Encycl. Unified Sci. I. 83) |
