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Tab vs Index - What's the difference?

tab | index |

As nouns the difference between tab and index

is that tab is a key on computer keyboards while index is index.

tab

English

Etymology 1

First attested 1607, of uncertain origin.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A small flap or strip of material attached to something, for holding, manipulation, identification, etc.
  • * 1993 , Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting , p 333:
  • He pulls off his belt, cursing as the studs catch in the tabs of his jeans.
  • (by extension, graphical user interface) A navigational widget for switching between sets of controls or documents.
  • (label) A tablet, especially one containing illicit drugs.
  • A fast march or run with full kit.
  • Verb

  • Mark with a tab.
  • (computing) To use the Tab key on a computer or typewriter to navigate the screen or page.
  • * 2010 , Chris Anderson, Pro Business Applications with Silverlight 4 (page 210)
  • You can prevent a control from getting the focus when the user is tabbing between controls by settings its IsTabStop property to False.
  • Short for tabulate.
  • Derived terms
    * keep tabs on * tabbed

    Etymology 2

    Apocopation (shortening) of tabulation.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) A restaurant bill.
  • (slang) Credit account, e.g., in a shop or bar.
  • Put this round on my tab , will you, barman.
  • Short for tabulator.
  • (computing) A space character ((tab)) that extends to the next aligned column, traditionally used for tabulation.
  • Derived terms
    * pick up the tab

    Etymology 3

    Likely to have been formed by clipping the Geordie pronunciation of the word or alternatively from the brand name Ogden's Tabs .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Geordie and Mackem) cigarette.
  • Giv'is a tab man!

    References

    *

    Etymology 4

    Shortening of tablature.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A form of musical notation indicating fingering rather than the pitch of notes, commonly used for stringed instruments.
  • Etymology 5

    Derived from the Latin Cantabrigia (often shortened to Cantab.).

    Noun

  • (rfv-sense)(slang) A student of Cambridge University.
  • Etymology 6

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (label) A tabloid newspaper.
  • * 1999 , George H. Douglas, The Golden Age of the Newspaper, p. 229:
  • * 2010 , Robert Lusetich, Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season:
  • Anagrams

    * * * * English clippings ----

    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