cross-reference

/krɔs ˈrɛfrəns/

Other forms: cross-references

When a book mentions something from a different part of the same book, that's a cross-reference. In a textbook, a cross-reference might look like this: "See page 123."

Cross-reference, "a reference in a book to another part of it," was coined in the 19th century. It's a way to add more information without going into wordy detail, similar to using a footnote or endnote in academic writing. If you look up "Amelia Earhart" in an index at the back of a book, you might see cross-references such as "See also: Earhart, Amelia" and "See also: aviators."

Definitions of cross-reference

1. noun

   a reference at one place in a work to information at another place in the same work
   synonyms: cross-index

   type of:

   acknowledgment, citation, cite, credit, mention, quotation, reference

   a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage