denotation

The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes

The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.

The denotations of the two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" are the same (i.e. both expressions denote the planet Venus), but their connotations are different.

Regarding denotation, the terms were generally used to refer to a wide range of language contact varieties and features.

The intension and extension of a word

Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol

Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics