Indexes

How to spell indexes

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce indexes

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does indexes mean?

1. nounMore than one index: alphabetical lists at the back of books that point to where topics appear.
2. verbThird-person singular present of 'to index': records or arranges entries so they can be found easily.

Indexes in a sentence

• noun

  Both reference manuals have detailed indexes at the back.

• verb

  The new software automatically indexes every document as it is uploaded.

• noun

  The librarian compared the indexes of two competing encyclopedias.

• verb

  She carefully indexes each chapter before sending the manuscript to print.

Where does indexes come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin index, which literally meant 'one that points out' or 'the forefinger', the digit you use to indicate something. That noun was built on the verb indicare, 'to point out' or 'to make known', from in- ('toward') and dicare ('to proclaim, to show'). English took index over directly in the late fifteenth century, first for a sign or indicator and soon afterwards for the alphabetical pointer at the back of a book that directs a reader to a page. English ended up with two competing plurals: the Latin-style 'indices', kept mainly in mathematics and economics, and the fully English-style 'indexes', formed simply by adding -es as we do to any word ending in x. That same Latin root also gives us 'indicate' and 'indication', a useful reminder that an index always points you toward something.

How the word is built

• index (Latin indicare: to point out)
• -es (plural / third-person singular suffix)