Full Idea
Some things called definitions really intend to fix a reference rather than to give the meaning of a phrase, to give a synonym.
Gist of Idea
Some definitions aim to fix a reference rather than give a meaning
Source
Saul A. Kripke (Naming and Necessity lectures [1970], Lecture 1)
Book Reference
Kripke,Saul: 'Naming and Necessity' [Blackwell 1980], p.60
A Reaction
His example is pi. Some definitions relate to reality (e.g. ostensive definition), and others are part of a language game. But then some concepts are dictated to us by reality, and others are arbitrarily invented by us for convenience.