denotation (N.)

A term used in SEMANTICS as part of a classification of types of MEANING; often opposed to CONNOTATION. It has been given different though overlapping uses in philosophy and branches of LINGUISTICS, so it has to be used with care. In one sense, in traditional linguistic terminology, denotational meaning equates roughly with literal meaning, contrasting with the subjective and personal associations of connotation. For example, the denotation of DOG would be its dictionary definition of ‘canine quadruped’, etc., while its connotations might include ‘friend’, ‘helper’, ‘competition’, etc. In a second sense, the denotation of an expression is the set of entities that it properly applies to or identifies; so for DOG this is the set of all actual dogs. In this case it is equivalent to EXTENSION. In a third usage, the denotation of an expression is the set of properties that something has to have to allow the expression to be applied to it. In this case it is equivalent to INTENSION.