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Webster 1913 Edition

Index

In′dex

,
Noun.
;
pl. E.
Indexes
(#)
, L.
Indices
(#)
([GREEK]).
[L.: cf. F.
index
. See
Indicate
,
Diction
.]
Tastes are the
indexes
of the different qualities of plants.
Arbuthnot.
2.
That which guides, points out, informs, or directs; a pointer or a hand that directs to anything, as the hand of a watch, a movable finger or other form of pointer on a gauge, scale, or other graduated instrument.
In
(printing)
,
a sign [☞] (called also
fist
) used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph.
4.
A prologue indicating what follows.
[Obs.]
Shak.
5.
(Anat.)
The second finger, that next to the pollex (thumb), in the manus, or hand; the forefinger;
index finger
.
6.
(Math.)
The figure or letter which shows the power or root of a quantity; the exponent.
[In this sense the plural is always
indices
.]
Index error
,
the error in the reading of a mathematical instrument arising from the zero of the index not being in complete adjustment with that of the limb, or with its theoretically perfect position in the instrument; a correction to be applied to the instrument readings equal to the error of the zero adjustment.
–
Index expurgatorius
.
[L.]
See
Index prohibitorius
(below).
–
Index finger
.
See
Index
, 5.
–
Index glass
,
the mirror on the index of a quadrant, sextant, etc.
–
Index hand
,
the pointer or hand of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; a hand that points to something.
–
Index of a logarithm
(Math.)
,
the integral part of the logarithm, and always one less than the number of integral figures in the given number. It is also called the
characteristic
.
–
Index of refraction
, or
Refractive index
(Opt.)
,
the number which expresses the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction. Thus the index of refraction for sulphur is 2, because, when light passes out of air into sulphur, the sine of the angle of incidence is double the sine of the angle of refraction.
–
Index plate
,
a graduated circular plate, or one with circular rows of holes differently spaced; used in machines for graduating circles, cutting gear teeth, etc.
–
Index prohibitorius
[L.]
, or
Prohibitory index
(R. C. Ch.)
,
a catalogue of books which are forbidden by the church to be read; the index expurgatorius
[L.]
, or expurgatory index, is a catalogue of books from which passages marked as against faith or morals must be removed before Catholics can read them. These catalogues are published with additions, from time to time, by the Congregation of the Index, composed of cardinals, theologians, etc., under the sanction of the pope.
Hook.
–
Index rerum
[L.]
,
a tabulated and alphabetized notebook, for systematic preservation of items, quotations, etc.

In′dex

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Indexed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Indexing
.]
1.
To provide with an index or table of references; to put into an index;
as, to
index
a book, or its contents
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Index

IN'DEX

,
Noun.
plu.
indexes, sometimes indices. [L. connected with idico, to show; in and dico.]
1.
That which points out; that which shows or manifests.
Tastes are the indexes of the different qualities of plants.
2.
The hand that points to any thing, as the hour of the day, the road to a place.
3.
A table of the contents of a book.
A table of references in an alphabetical order.
4.
In anatomy, the fore finger, or pointing finger.
5.
In arithmetic and algebra, that which shows to what power any quantity is involved; the exponent.
6.
The index of a globe, or the gnomon, is a little style fitted on the north pole, which by turning with the globe, serves to point to certain divisions of the hour circle.
7.
In music, a direct, which see.
Index expurgatory, in catholic countries, a catalogue of prohibited books.

Definition 2024

Index

Index

See also: index and índex
For Wiktionary's indexes, see Wiktionary:Index

English

Proper noun

Index

  1. A town in Washington
  2. An unincorporated community in West Virginia

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɪndɛks/

Noun

Index m ‎(genitive Index or Indexes or Indicis, plural Indizes or Indices or Indexe)

  1. index

Proper noun

Index

  1. the index, maintained by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefärdende Medien ("Federal department for examination of youth‐endangering media"), of media not allowed to be distributed within Germany

Related terms

index

index

For Wiktionary's indexes, see Wiktionary:Index
See also: Index and índex

English

Noun

index ‎(plural indexes or indices)

  1. An alphabetical listing of items and their location.
    The index of a book lists words or expressions and the pages of the book upon which they are to be found.
  2. The index finger; the forefinger.
  3. A movable finger on a gauge, scale, etc.
  4. (printing) A symbol resembling a pointing hand, used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph.
  5. That which points out; that which shows, indicates, manifests, or discloses.
    • Arbuthnot
      Tastes are the indexes of the different qualities of plants.
  6. A sign; an indication; a token.
    • Robert Louis Stevenson
      His son's empty guffaws […] struck him with pain as the indices of a weak mind.
  7. (linguistics) A type of noun where the meaning of the form changes with respect to the context. E.g., 'Today's newspaper' is an indexical form since its referent will differ depending on the context. See also icon and symbol.
  8. (economics) A single number calculated from an array of prices or of quantities.
  9. (sciences) A number representing a property or ratio, a coefficient.
  10. (mathematics) A raised suffix indicating a power.
  11. (computing, chiefly programming and databases) An integer or other key indicating the location of data e.g. within an array, vector, database table, associative array, or hash table.
  12. (computing, databases) A data structure that improves the performance of operations on a table.
  13. (obsolete) A prologue indicating what follows.
    • "Ay me, what act, that roars so loud and thunders in the index?" (Hamlet III.4)

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

See also

Verb

index ‎(third-person singular simple present indexes, present participle indexing, simple past and past participle indexed)

  1. (transitive) To arrange an index for something, especially a long text.
  2. To inventory, to take stock.
  3. (linguistics, transitive) To be indexical for (some situation or state of affairs); to indicate.
    • 2008, Haruko Minegishi Cook, Socializing Identities Through Speech Style (page 22)
      For example, the feature I indexes the current speaker in the speech event and you, the current addressee.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Czech

Pronunciation

Noun

index m

  1. index (economics)

Related terms

Dutch

Pronunciation

Noun

index m ‎(plural indexen or indices, diminutive indexje n)

  1. index

Derived terms

French

Etymology

From Latin index ‎(“pointer, indicator”), from indicō ‎(“point out, show”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛ̃.dɛks/

Noun

index m ‎(plural index)

  1. index
  2. forefinger
  3. The welcome page of a web site, typically index.html, index.htm or index.php

Latin

Etymology

From indicō ‎(“point out, indicate, show”), from in ‎(“in, at, on; into”) + dicō ‎(“indicate; dedicate; set apart”).

Pronunciation

Noun

index m, f ‎(genitive indicis); third declension

  1. A pointer, indicator.
  2. The index finger, forefinger.
  3. A sign, indication, proof, mark, token, index.
  4. An informer, discoverer, director, talebearer, guide, witness, betrayer, spy.
  5. (of books) A title, superscription.
  6. (of books) An index, catalogue, table, list, summary, digest.
  7. (of paintings or statues) An inscription.

Declension

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative index indicēs
genitive indicis indicum
dative indicī indicibus
accusative indicem indicēs
ablative indice indicibus
vocative index indicēs

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

References

Swedish

Noun

index n

  1. an index

Declension

Inflection of index 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative index indexet index indexen
Genitive index indexets index indexens

Etymology

From Latin index ‎(“a discoverer, informer, spy; of things, an indicator, the forefinger, a title, superscription”), from indicō ‎(“point out, show”); see indicate.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɪndɛks/

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