non-referentially
|non-re-fer-en-tial-ly|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.rɪˈfɛrənʃəli/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.rɪˈfɛrənʃəli/
not referring to something
Etymology
'non-referentially' is formed from the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with 'referentially' (the adverbial form of 'referential'). 'Referential' traces to Latin 'referre' (to carry back, relate) via Medieval Latin 'referentialis'.
'referre' (Latin) gave rise to Medieval Latin 'referentialis' meaning 'relating to reference', which entered English as 'referential' and then formed the adverb 'referentially'; the prefix 'non-' was attached in modern English to create 'non-referential' and then 'non-referentially'.
Originally related to 'referre' (to carry back, to relate), the root developed the sense 'relating to reference or denotation'; the compound with 'non-' shifted the meaning to 'not relating to or not establishing reference', which is the current sense of 'non-referentially'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a manner that does not refer to, denote, or point to any specific external entity or real-world referent; without establishing a direct referent.
The pronoun in that sentence was used non-referentially, so it did not point to any specific person.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/29 11:09