index

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   An alphabetical list at the back of a book showing where topics can be found.

   I looked up the word in the index to find the right page.

2. 2
   noun

   A number or figure that shows a level, rate, or change in something.

   The cost of living index rose again this year.

3. 3
   verb

   To make an index for a book or set of documents.

   It took weeks to index the entire encyclopedia.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Index comes from Latin index, meaning “forefinger,” “informer,” or “sign”; its second element is related to Latin dicare, “to make known.” English first used it of the pointing finger, then of anything that points to information, and by the late 16th century of a list directing readers to topics in a book.

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

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary