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Lexicon vs Index - What's the difference?

lexicon | index |

In linguistics terms the difference between lexicon and index

is that lexicon is a dictionary that includes or focuses on lexemes while index is 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.

As nouns the difference between lexicon and index

is that lexicon is the vocabulary of a language while index is an alphabetical listing of items and their location.

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.

lexicon

English

Noun

(wikipedia lexicon) (en-noun)
  • The vocabulary of a language.
  • (linguistics) A dictionary that includes or focuses on lexemes.
  • A dictionary of Classical Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic.
  • (programming) The lexicology of a programming language. (Usually called lexical structure.)
  • (rare) Any dictionary.
  • The vocabulary used by or known to an individual. (Also called lexical knowledge)
  • A vocabulary specific to a certain subject.
  • a baseball lexicon

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    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