reference vs parameter

reference and parameter both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
reference	Yes	No	Yes	No
parameter	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, parameter is a hyponym of reference; that is, parameter is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than reference:

reference: (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
parameter: (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program

Other hyponyms of reference include argument, uniform resource locator, universal resource locator, URL.

reference (noun)	parameter (noun)
the act of referring or consulting	a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to	a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data
the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to	(computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program
a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability	any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
an indicator that orients you generally
a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
(computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

reference (verb)	parameter (verb)
refer to