a word (such as a pronoun) used to avoid repetition; the referent of an anaphor is determined by its antecedent.

This is a word that takes its reference from some other expression in a sentence (its antecedent). This means that it cannot be used in a sentence unless there is an antecedent for it. Anaphors include reflexives, such as 'myself', 'himself', 'ourselves', as in: I washed myself, we treated ourselves. The also include reciprocals, 'each other', 'one another', as in: They like each other.

a word or phrase which refers back to some previously expressed word or phrase or meaning (typically, pronouns such as herself, himself, he, she).

an abbreviated word, such as a pronoun, which itself carries no meaning but co-refers with another word, e

an expression (like himself ) which cannot have independent reference, but which must take its reference from an antecedent (e

a variable-word that binds to something previously mentioned

a word that refers back to a another word, phrase, or clause that preceded it