deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE
HOLE qq(see wikipedia on Signified_and_signifier)
The word referent means "meaning" or "signified". As for instance if I point to a tree and I say vRkSaH वृक्षः, then "vRkSaH वृक्षः" is a word, and the tree is the referent (/adhikaraNa') of that word.
See referent of a noun for more details.
See referent of a verb.
(There is also another technical term /adhikaraNa that means "location".)
Two words are in /samAnAdhikaraNa when they have the same referent. As for instance, when I say vRkSo dRSTaH वृक्षो दृष्टः "saw a tree", the word **vRkSas वृक्षस् has, at that moment, a certain tree as a referent, and the word **dRSTas दृष्टस् has that same tree as a referent, so they are in /samAnAdhikaraNa. But if I say mahAn vRkSo dRSTo devadattaH महान्वृक्षो दृष्टो देवदत्तः "the tree is big, I saw devadatta" then **dRSTas दृष्टस् is not in /samAnAdhikaraNa with **vRkSas वृक्षस्.