1. 预示;是…的征兆;表示;是…的标志
    If one thing denotes another, it is a sign or indication of it.

    e.g. Red eyes denote strain and fatigue...
           眼睛充血表明压力过大、身心疲惫。
    e.g. There was a message waiting, denoting that someone had been here ahead of her.
           有了一条留言，这表示有人已先于她到了这儿。

2. （符号等）代表，是…的标记
    What a symbol denotes is what it represents.

    e.g. In figure 24 'D' denotes quantity demanded and 'S' denotes quantity supplied.
           在图 24 中，D 代表需求量而 S 代表供应量。

3. 意思是;指代
    What a word or name denotes is what it means or refers to.

    e.g. In the Middle Ages the term 'drab' denoted a very simple type of woollen cloth which was used by peasants to make their clothes.
           中世纪时，drab（“本色布”）一词指的是一种农民用来制衣的非常普通的羊毛织物。