denotation
/ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
University
1
The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes
2
The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.
3
The intension and extension of a word
4
Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol
5
Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics
6
A first level of analysis: what the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor.