denote

American  

[dih-noht] / dɪˈnoʊt /

verb (used with object)

denoted, denoting

1. to be a mark or sign of; indicate.

   A fever often denotes an infection.

   Synonyms:

   evidence, signify, signal, mark

2. to be a name or designation for; mean.

3. to represent by a symbol, or to be a symbol for.

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denote British  

/ dɪˈnəʊt /

verb

1. to be a sign, symbol, or symptom of; indicate or designate

2. (of words, phrases, expressions, etc) to have as a literal or obvious meaning

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Other Word Forms

• denotable
  adjective
• denotement
  noun
• undenotable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of denote

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French dénoter, Latin dēnotāre “to mark out,” equivalent to dē- de- + notāre “to mark”; see note

Compare meaning

How does denote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• denote vs. connote

Explanation

To denote is to draw attention to something or to show what it means. All of the googly-eyed looks that a girl gives to a boy might do more to denote her feelings for him than leaving a note in his locker. Denote comes from the Latin root dēnotāre, "to mark out." Using a particular facial expression can denote meaning, as in, "All of the crinkled foreheads and squinted eyebrows denoted a lack of understanding among the math students." Words and symbols also point to, or denote, meaning, "If he had used PST to denote the fact that he was in the Pacific time zone, she would have known that it was only 4:00 a.m. and too early to call from New York."

Example Sentences

Denote the length of the piece from Pi−1 to Pi by Δsi.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

"Denote" in common speech means to indicate, to distinguish.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William

Silence of death—portentous calm, ��Those airy forms that yonder fly Denote that your void foreruns a storm, ��That the hour of fate is nigh.

From The Poetical Works of Henry Kirk White : With a Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas by White, Henry Kirk

And lo! not one Of all your speeches have convicted Job, Or proved your theory that woes like his Denote a secret guilt.

From Man of Uz, and Other Poems by Sigourney, Lydia Howard

What rumours? what reports? your frown would much Denote: your preface seems important.—Speak.

From The Earl of Essex by Jones, Henry Festing

Related Words

• stand for