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Directory vs Index - What's the difference?

directory | index |

As nouns the difference between directory and index

is that directory is a list of names, addresses etc, of specific classes of people or organizations, often in alphabetical order or in some classification while index is an alphabetical listing of items and their location.

As an adjective directory

is containing directions; instructing; directorial.

As a verb index is

to arrange an index for something, especially a long text.

As a proper noun Index is

a town in Washington.

directory

Noun

(directories)
  • A list of names, addresses etc, of specific classes of people or organizations, often in alphabetical order or in some classification.
  • (computing) A structured listing of the names and characteristics of the files on a storage device.
  • (computing) A virtual container in a computer's file system, in which files and other directories may be stored. The files and subdirectories in a directory are usually related.
  • Synonyms

    * (structured listing)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Containing directions; instructing; directorial.
  • index

    English

    (wikipedia index)

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • An alphabetical listing of items and their location.
  • The index of a book lists words or expressions and the pages of the book upon which they are to be found.
  • The index finger; the forefinger.
  • A movable finger on a gauge, scale, etc.
  • (printing) A symbol resembling a pointing hand, used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph.
  • That which points out; that which shows, indicates, manifests, or discloses.
  • * Arbuthnot
  • Tastes are the indexes of the different qualities of plants.
  • A sign; an indication; a token.
  • * Robert Louis Stevenson
  • His son's empty guffaws struck him with pain as the indices of a weak mind.
  • (linguistics) A type of noun where the meaning of the form changes with respect to the context. E.g., 'Today's newspaper' is an indexical form since its referent will differ depending on the context. See also icon and symbol.
  • (economics) A single number calculated from an array of prices or of quantities.
  • (science) A number representing a property or ratio, a coefficient.
  • (mathematics) A raised suffix indicating a power.
  • (programming, computing) An integer or other key indicating the location of data e.g. within an array, vector, database table, associative array, or hash table.
  • (computing, databases) A data structure that improves the performance of operations on a table.
  • (obsolete) A prologue indicating what follows.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * (index finger) arrow-finger, demonstrator, forefinger, index finger, insignitor, lickpot, pointling, showing finger, teacher * See also

    Derived terms

    * index locorum * index nominum * index rerum * index term * index verborum * indexic * indexical * indexless * price index * refractive index

    References

    *

    See also

    * (alphabetical listing) table of contents

    Verb

    (es)
  • To arrange an index for something, especially a long text.
  • To inventory, to take stock.
  • Derived terms

    * indexer