Denotation, according to the <em>Cambridge Dictionary</em>, is the <em>main meaning of a word</em>, not including the <em>feelings and ideas</em> that people may connect with the word.
Explanation:
Denotation is different from Connotation in the sense that the last one includes feelings or beliefs attached to the literal meaning (denotation). For example, the denotation of the word "rose" is "<em>a garden plant with thorns on its stems and pleasant-smelling flowers, or a flower from this plant</em>" (Cambridge dictionary), and a possible connotation may be "a symbol of passion, love or desire" (this is what a rose represents to lots of people)
