INDEX
What does "INDEX" mean?
An alphabetical list of topics with page numbers, or a measure that points to something.
Meanings
- An alphabetical list at the back of a book pointing to where topics appear. She flipped to the index to find every mention of the river.
- A number or measure that tracks changes in a value, often relative to a baseline. The cost-of-living index rose three percent this year. technical
- A sign or indicator that points to or reveals something. A child's vocabulary is one index of how much is read at home. formal
- In mathematics, an exponent, or a number labeling members of a sequence. The index in x-squared is two. technical
- To compile an index for, or to record systematically for retrieval. Search engines index billions of web pages.
Did you know?
- The 'index finger' and a book's index share one word: Latin 'index' literally means the pointing forefinger, from 'indicare', to point out.
- From 1559 to 1966 the Catholic Church maintained the 'Index Librorum Prohibitorum', a famous Index of forbidden books that once listed Galileo, Kant, and Descartes.
Word origin
From Latin 'index' (a forefinger, pointer, sign, list), from 'indicare' (to point out) - the index finger is literally the 'pointing finger'.
Remember it
Your INDEX finger points; a book's INDEX points too - both come from Latin for 'the pointer'.
A little poem
One finger lifts to single out the star;
the book grows its own finger at the back,
pointing to every place a thing might hide.
tercet
What it teaches
An index is humble: it owns nothing, yet without its pointing the whole library stays a maze.
Quick facts
What does INDEX mean?
An alphabetical list of topics with page numbers, or a measure that points to something.
Is INDEX a valid word?
Yes — INDEX is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is INDEX?
INDEX has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does INDEX come from?
From Latin 'index' (a forefinger, pointer, sign, list), from 'indicare' (to point out) - the index finger is literally the 'pointing finger'.
What can INDEX teach us?
An index is humble: it owns nothing, yet without its pointing the whole library stays a maze.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.