verb
(programming) To access the value or object located in a memory location addressed by a pointer or another value interpreted as such; to access a value being referenced by something else.
(computing, *nix) To operate on the file or directory pointed to by a symbolic link, rather than on the link itself.
(computing, *nix) To dissolve a symbolic link by replacing it with a copy of its target.
noun
The act by which something is dereferenced.