denotatum
/ˌdiːnoʊˈteɪtəm/
noun
- The actual object, person, or thing that a word or symbol refers to.
- A proper noun like 'Mount Everest' has a single denotatum: that specific mountain.
- Linguists study how words relate to their denotata in the real world.
- In the sentence 'The cat sat on the mat,' the denotatum of 'cat' is the specific animal being discussed.