what is denotation

Denotation is the literal or objective meaning of a word or expression, as opposed to its connotation or associated ideas. For example, the denotation of the word "hot" is having or giving off heat. Denotation is studied in linguistics, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science, and is an important aspect of meaning. In natural language semantics, denotations are conceived of as the outputs of the semantic component of the grammar. Denotations are also used in media studies as an example of the first level of analysis, which refers to what the audience can visually see on a page.