+<P>
+
+A variable can be assigned the <I>nameref</I> attribute using the
+<B>-n</B> option to the <B>declare</B> or <B>local</B> builtin commands
+(see the descriptions of <B>declare</B> and <B>local</B> below)
+to create a <I>nameref</I>, or a reference to another variable.
+This allows variables to be manipulated indirectly.
+Whenever the nameref variable is referenced or assigned to, the operation
+is actually performed on the variable specified by the nameref variable's
+value.
+A nameref is commonly used within shell functions to refer to a variable
+whose name is passed as an argument to the function.
+For instance, if a variable name is passed to a shell function as its first
+argument, running
+<P>
+<DL COMPACT><DT><DD>
+<TT>declare -n ref=$1</TT>
+
+</DL>
+
+<P>
+inside the function creates a nameref variable <B>ref</B> whose value is
+the variable name passed as the first argument.
+References and assignments to <B>ref</B> are treated as references and
+assignments to the variable whose name was passed as <B>$1</B>.
+If the control variable in a <B>for</B> loop has the nameref attribute,
+the list of words can be a list of shell variables, and a name reference
+will be established for each word in the list, in turn, when the loop is
+executed.
+Array variables cannot be given the <B>-n</B> attribute.
+However, nameref variables can reference array variables and subscripted
+array variables.
+Namerefs can be unset using the <B>-n</B> option to the <B>unset</B> builtin.
+Otherwise, if <B>unset</B> is executed with the name of a nameref variable
+as an argument, the variable referenced by the nameref variable will be unset.