| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| SYLLABICATION: | in·dex |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   n d ks |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. in·dex·es or in·di·ces (-d-s z)
1. Something that serves to guide, point out, or otherwise facilitate reference, especially: a. An alphabetized list of names, places, and subjects treated in a printed work, giving the page or pages on which each item is mentioned. b. A thumb index. c. A table, file, or catalog. 2. Something that reveals or indicates; a sign: “Her face . . . was a fair index to her disposition” (Samuel Butler). 3. A character ( ) used in printing to call attention to a particular paragraph or section. Also called fist, hand. 4. An indicator or pointer, as on a scientific instrument. 5a. Mathematics A number or symbol, often written as a subscript or superscript to a mathematical expression, that indicates an operation to be performed, an ordering relation, or a use of the associated expression. b. A number derived from a formula, used to characterize a set of data. 6. Index Roman Catholic Church A list formerly published by Church authority, restricting or forbidding the reading of certain books. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: in·dexed, in·dex·ing, in·dex·es
1. To furnish with an index: index a book. 2. To enter in an index. 3. To indicate or signal. 4. To adjust through indexation. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, forefinger, from Latin. See deik- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | indexer —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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