Denotation | Literary Term - Definition, Characteristic and Examples | Learning The Easy Way

Denotation:

Denotation means the direct meaning of a word. It is called basic meaning of a word. It is also called Literal meaning or Dictionary meaning of a word. It has no emotional associations or overtone.

For example:

The word "Gold" may suggest riches, power, greed. But its denotation meaning is "a malleable, ductile and  univalent metallic element."