Definition:
The person, thing, or idea that a word or expression stands for. See also:
- Antecedent
- Reference
- Anaphora (grammar)
- Cataphora
- Exophora
Etymology:
From the Latin, "carry"Examples and Observations:
- "In [the transitive verb pattern] (My roommate and I became good friends), the two noun phrases have the same referent: My roommate and I and good friends refer to the same people. We could in fact say
My roommate and I are good friends,
using the linking be."
(Martha Kolln, Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. 3rd ed., Allyn and Bacon, 1999) - "When language is used to attribute properties to language or otherwise theorize about it, a linguistic device is needed that turns language on itself. Quotation is one such device. It is our primary meta-linguistic tool. If you don't understand quotation, then you can't understand sentences like:
- Snow is white is true in English if snow is white.
- Aristotle refers to Aristotle. . . .
(Herman Cappelen and Ernest LePore, "Quotation," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005)
Pronunciation: REF-er-unt
Also Known As: antecedent

