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Definition of index noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

index

noun
 
/ˈɪndeks/
 
/ˈɪndeks/
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  1. (plural indexes)
    a list of names or topics that are referred to in a book, etc., usually arranged at the end of a book in alphabetical order or listed in a separate file or book
    • Look it up in the index.
    • Author and subject indexes are available on a library database.
    see also thumb index
    Extra Examples
    • Is there any reference to it in the index?
    • It's a general index to the whole work.
    • The index only gives the main towns.
    • The topic I was interested in didn't appear in the index.
    • His novels were put on the index of banned books.
    • The detailed index lists all the historical characters referred to in the book.
    Topics Literature and writingb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • complete
    • comprehensive
    • detailed
    verb + index
    • appear in
    • be in
    • consult
    index + verb
    • give something
    • list something
    index + noun
    • card
    preposition
    • in a/​the index
    • index to
    See full entry
  2. (also card index (British English), North American English card catalog)
    a box of cards with information on them, arranged in alphabetical order
  3. (plural indexes or indices
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
    )
    a system that shows the level of prices and wages, etc. so that they can be compared with those of a previous date
    • the cost-of-living index
    • The Dow Jones index fell 15 points this morning.
    • stock market indices
    • house price indexes
    see also consumer price index, Dow Jones Index, FTSE index™, Hang Seng Index, Nikkei index, price index, retail price index, share index, stock index
    Extra Examples
    • Most commodity funds track a specific commodity index.
    • The Morgan Stanley Cyclical index posted a small advance.
    • The NYSE Financial index gained 20%.
    • The commodities index fell 3.1%.
    • The company is listed on the Nasdaq technology stocks index.
    • The hundred shares index closed down 15 points.
    Topics Moneyc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • reliable
    • sensitive
    verb + index
    • have
    • use (something as)
    • compile
    index + verb
    • add something
    • gain something
    • increase
    preposition
    • in an/​the index
    • on an/​the index
    phrases
    • a drop in an index
    • a fall in an index
    • changes in an index
    See full entry
  4. (plural indexes or indices
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
    )
    a number giving a measurement of something compared with a particular standard
    • White bread has a high glycaemic index.
    • pain management index scores
    see also air quality index, body mass index, glycaemic index, heat index, refractive index
  5. (plural indices
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
    )
    a sign or measure that something else can be judged by
    • The number of new houses being built is a good index of a country's prosperity.
    Extra Examples
    • The test results were used as an index of language proficiency.
    • Those who lived in the inner cities had a high index of deprivation.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • reliable
    • sensitive
    verb + index
    • have
    • use (something as)
    • compile
    index + verb
    • add something
    • gain something
    • increase
    preposition
    • in an/​the index
    • on an/​the index
    phrases
    • a drop in an index
    • a fall in an index
    • changes in an index
    See full entry
  6. (plural indexes or indices
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
     
    /ˈɪndɪsiːz/
    )
    (computing) a list of the records in a computer file with information about where each is located
    • Search the index to find the address of the data file.
    • The index of a search engine is like a library.
    Topics Computersc2
  7. (usually indices [plural])
    (mathematics) the small number written above a larger number to show how many times that number must be multiplied by itself. In the equation 42 = 16, the number 2 is an index.Topics Maths and measurementc2
  8. Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin index, indic- ‘forefinger, informer, sign’, from in- ‘towards’ + a second element related to dicere ‘say’ or dicare ‘make known’; compare with indicate. The original sense ‘index finger’ (the finger with which one points), came to mean ‘pointer’ (late 16th cent.), and figuratively something that serves to point to a fact or conclusion; hence a list of topics in a book (“pointing” to their location).
See index in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee index in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
dizzy
adjective
 
 
From the Topic
Health problems
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