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in·dex
 index
- pronunciation:
- In
deks
- parts of speech:
- noun, transitive verb
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| inflections: |
indexes, indices |
| definition 1: |
an alphabetical listing of subjects, names, and the like in a book, with page numbers given for each item.
Just look up MacArthur in the index, and it will lead you to the pages where he is mentioned in the textbook. |
| definition 2: |
something serving as a sign, indication, or measure.
His smile was an index of his pleasure. |
| definition 3: |
(cap.) formerly, a list of reading material prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church.
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| definition 4: |
the numerical system by which present and former prices can be compared.
the cost-of-living index |
| definition 5: |
in computers, a means of locating a particular item of data in a sequenced arrangement of data.
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| related words: |
catalogue, evidence, list, token |
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
indexed, indexes, indexing |
| definition 1: |
to make an index for (a book).
A graduate student is indexing the professor's new book. |
| definition 2: |
to make an index of, or place as an entry in an index.
The author indexed the textbook's most important information. |
| definition 3: |
to serve to indicate.
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| definition 4: |
to make adjustments to (prices or wages) according to changes in economic indicators such as cost of living.
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| definition 5: |
in computers, to arrange (data) so as to be able to retrieve any single item.
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| related words: |
accession, catalogue, codify, coordinate, enter, list |
Index was a Latin word that came from another Latin word, indicare, which means "to point out" or "indicate." In Latin, "index" could mean "forefinger," "pointer," "list," or anything that points to something else. The index of a book points you to the places in the book you are interested in.
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