Other forms: references
A reference is the letter from an old employer telling a new one how good you were. Ask for a reference, provide two references, a glowing reference.
In Britain many employers now give only a factual reference confirming dates and job title, for fear of being sued. A referee is the person who provides it, which has nothing to do with sport. Elsewhere, a reference is a mention — a reference to the earlier report — or the details identifying a source: a reference list, cite your references. Note reference number, and with reference to, which is formal correspondence language.
1nounjobA statement from a former employer about somebody's work.
“The reference was two lines long and said nothing at all.”
2nounmentionA mention of something.
“There is one reference to it in the whole report.”
3noundetailsDetails identifying a source.
“Please add the full reference for every book you quote in your essay.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
reference is a pointing back.
Latin referre is re-, back, plus ferre, to carry — to carry back. A reference carries something back to its source, which is exactly what a footnote and a former employer both do.
Proto-Indo-European
*bʰer-
Medieval Latin
referentia
Middle French
référence
English, today
reference
Built from
From Middle French référence, from Medieval Latin referentia, nominative neuter plural of referēns, present participle of referō (“return, reply”) literally “carry back”. Morphologically refer + ence.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA