indexing

Pluralindexings

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A method or system for assigning indexes to items so they can be located or referenced.

   The archive's indexing allows researchers to locate documents by subject or date.

   Efficient indexing reduces the time needed to retrieve records from a large collection.

   Similarcataloging, classification

   Note

   In programming the word names a counting convention. Zero-based indexing numbers the variables in an array upward from zero, so the first one sits at position 0. Without an article it means the practice in general, as in efficient indexing. Used as a countable noun it names one particular scheme, so two indexings can be compared side by side.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of index.

   The team is indexing thousands of records into the new system.

   Indexing the archive by author kept the staff busy for months.

   Note

   Every use of the verb travels with this form, so its meaning shifts by field. A librarian indexing a long text is building its index. An economist indexing a salary is linking it to a price index to offset inflation. A programmer indexing an array is reaching a value by its index. With a direct object it is still the verb; with no object it shades into the noun for the system itself.

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