The term for a word’s literal, dictionary meaning, as opposed to its associations, is denotation.
Denotation identifies what a word or expression explicitly means or refers to. For example, the denotation of “snake” is a legless reptile of the suborder Serpentes. The word may also suggest danger, deceit, or fear, but those emotional and cultural associations belong to its connotation rather than its denotation.
The distinction is especially useful in linguistics, philosophy of language, and literary analysis. A dictionary often gives a practical account of denotation, although dictionary entries may also record figurative senses, usage labels, and implied nuances. In formal semantics, denotation can refer more technically to the object, property, or set of things an expression picks out within an interpretation.
Denotation is not exactly the same as reference. Reference is the act of identifying a particular thing in a context, while denotation concerns the meaning or range associated with an expression. “The capital of France” can denote Paris, but a speaker’s use of that phrase to point out Paris in a conversation is an act of reference. A common mistake is treating semantics as a synonym for denotation; semantics is the broader study of meaning.