signified
n. countable C1 Advanced US //ˈsɪɡnəˌfaɪd// UK //sˈɪɡnɪfˌaɪd// sig·ni·fied
n. the thing that a word or symbol represents. It is the actual object or idea that the sign points to.
n. the object, concept, or entity that is represented by a sign. In semiotics, it is the referent or the 'thing in itself' that the signifier points toward.
The word 'tree' is a signifier, and the actual plant is the signified.
In semiotic analysis, the signified is the mental concept that the signifier evokes in the mind of the observer.
While the signifier is the audible or visible form of a sign, the signified is the abstract concept that exists within the collective consciousness of a linguistic community.