denote
- 01 C1 Advanced
to be a sign of something or to mean something specific.
to serve as a symbol, sign, or name for something; to indicate or represent directly.
Simple“In this diagram, the red lines denote the main roads in the city.”
In context“The mathematical symbols used in the equation denote specific physical constants that remain unchanged throughout the experiment.”
UsageThis verb is transitive and requires a direct object to show what is being represented.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
to mean the literal or dictionary definition of a word, rather than the feelings it suggests.
to refer to the literal, objective meaning of a term as opposed to its subjective connotations.
Simple“While the word 'home' connotes comfort, it simply denotes the place where one lives.”
In context“In semiotics, it is crucial to distinguish between what a sign denotes literally and the cultural values it connotes to a specific audience.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is frequently paired with 'connote' in academic writing to distinguish between literal and emotional meanings.
Usage respectively denote
“That is the question that led the Italian photographer Niccolò Rastrelli to embark on the project IRL (the online acronym, of course, for a phrase denoting our offline existences: in real life).”
“Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is made of four building blocks denoted by the letters A, C, G and U.”
From Middle French denoter, from Latin denotare, from de- (“complete”) and notare (“to mark out”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.