Indexed

How to spell indexed

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce indexed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does indexed mean?

1. verbCompiled into or recorded in an ordered list for easy reference.
2. verbAdjusted in value in line with a measured economic index such as inflation.

Indexed in a sentence

• The librarian indexed every report by author and date.

• Their pensions are indexed to the cost of living.

• The search engine indexed the new pages overnight.

• The annual rent is indexed against the retail price figures.

Where does indexed come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin index, which literally meant a pointer or the forefinger, the finger used to point things out, and was itself formed from the verb indicare meaning 'to point out' or 'to indicate'. In Latin an index could be anything that pointed or signalled, including a sign, a list, or even an informer. English adopted index in the late 1500s, first for a pointing finger or a guide, and soon for the alphabetical list of contents at the back of a book that points the reader to the right page. From the noun came the verb 'to index', meaning to compile such a list or to mark something for reference, and 'indexed' is simply its past tense and past participle. In modern finance the verb gained a second life: to peg a value to a measured index, so a wage that rises with inflation is said to be indexed. The shared 'point out' sense links it neatly to relatives like 'indicate' and 'indication'.

How the word is built

• index (from Latin index: pointer, forefinger)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)