ENGLISH
REFERENCE

indices

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈɪndəsɪz// UK //ˈɪndɪsˌiːz// in·dices

n. the plural form of 'index'. It refers to lists of information or signs that show how something is changing.

n. the plural of 'index', referring to alphabetical lists of names or subjects with page references, or to statistical measures of change in economy or science.


SIMPLE

The researcher checked the indices of several books.

CONTEXTUAL

Economists use various price indices to track how much the cost of living increases over time.

COMPLEX

The library's digital indices allow scholars to cross-reference thousands of manuscripts that were previously catalogued only in separate, physical volumes.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin indicēs.

Usage

The plural 'indices' is preferred in technical, mathematical, and financial contexts, whereas 'indexes' is more common for books.

Pitfall

the book's indicesthe book's indexesWhile 'indices' is technically correct, 'indexes' is the standard plural for back-of-book lists in general English.

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