exponent
n
1 usually foll by: of a person or thing that acts as an advocate (of an idea, cause, etc.)
2 a person or thing that explains or interprets
3 a performer or interpretive artist, esp. a musician
4 (Also called)
power, index (Maths) a number or variable placed as a superscript to the right of another number or quantity indicating the number of times the number or quantity is to be multiplied by itself
adj
5 offering a declaration, explanation, or interpretation (C16: from Latin exponere to set out, expound, from ponere to set, place)
All-Ordinaries Index
n an index of share prices on the Australian Stock Exchange giving a weighted arithmetic average of 245 ordinary shares
card index , file
n
1 an index in which each item is separately listed on systematically arranged cards
vb
♦
card-index tr
2 to make such an index of (a book)
cephalic index
n the ratio of the greatest width of the human head to its greatest length, multiplied by 100
colour index
n
1 (Astronomy) the difference between the photographic magnitude and the visual magnitude of a star, indicating its colour and temperature
2 (Geology) the sum of the dark or coloured minerals of a rock, expressed as a percentage of the total minerals
3 (Chem, physics) a systematic arrangement of colours according to their hue, saturation, and brightness
cranial index
n the ratio of the greatest length to the greatest width of the cranium, multiplied by 100: used in comparative anthropology
Compare →
cephalic index
cross-index
n
1 a note or notes referring the reader to other material
vb
2 intr (of a note in a book) to refer to related material
3 to provide or be provided with cross-indexes
facial index
n the ratio of the length of the face to the width of the face multiplied by 100: often used in comparative anthropology
Compare →
cranial index
Financial Times Industrial Ordinary Share Index
n an index of share prices produced by the Financial Times, designed to reflect general price trends: based on the average price of thirty British shares
Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index
n an index of share prices produced by the Financial Times based on an average of 100 securities and giving the best indication of daily movements, (Abbrev.)
FTSE 100 Index (Informal name)
Footsie
FT-SE 100 Index
abbrev. for Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index
Hang Seng Index
n an index of share prices based on an average of 33 stocks quoted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
(name of a Hong Kong bank)
index
n pl , -dexes, -dices
1 an alphabetical list of persons, places, subjects, etc., mentioned in the text of a printed work, usually at the back, and indicating where in the work they are referred to
3 (Library science) a systematic list of book titles or author's names, giving cross-references and the location of each book; catalogue
4 an indication, sign, or token
5 a pointer, needle, or other indicator, as on an instrument
a another name for →
exponent →
4
b a number or variable placed as a superscript to the left of a radical sign indicating by its value the root to be extracted, as in 3square root 8 = 2
c a subscript or superscript to the right of a variable to show that the variable should be considered over a range of specified values
xi for the index i = 3 includes x1, x2, and x3
7 a numerical scale by means of which variables, such as levels of the cost of living, can be compared with each other or with some base number
8 a number or ratio indicating a specific characteristic, property, etc.
refractive index
9 (Also called)
fist a printer's mark (<fist>) used to indicate notes, paragraphs, etc.
10 Obsolete a table of contents or preface
vb tr
11 to put an index in (a book)
12 to enter (a word, item, etc.) in an index
13 to point out; indicate
15 to move (a machine or a workpiece held in a machine tool) so that one particular operation will be repeated at certain defined intervals
(C16: from Latin: pointer, hence forefinger, title, index, from indicare to disclose, show; see indicate)
♦
indexer n
♦
indexless adj
index case
n (Med) the first case of a disease
index finger
n the finger next to the thumb, (Also called)
forefinger
index fossil
n a fossil species that characterizes and is used to delimit a geological zone, (Also called)
zone fossil
index futures
pl n a form of financial futures based on projected movement of a share price index, such as the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Share Index
Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Latin)
n (R.C. Church) (formerly) an official list of proscribed books, (Often called)
the Index
(C17, literally: list of forbidden books)
index-linked
adj (of wages, interest rates, etc.) directly related to the cost-of-living index and rising or falling accordingly
index number
n (Statistics) a statistic indicating the relative change occurring in each successive period of time in the price, volume, or value of a commodity or in a general economic variable, such as the price level, national income, or gross output, with reference to a previous base period conventionally given the number 100
Index of Industrial Production
n (in Britain) an index produced by the Central Statistical Office showing changes in the production of the primary British industries
index of refraction
n another name for →
refractive index
nasal index
n the ratio of the widest part of the nose to its length multiplied by 100
opsonic index
n the ratio of the number of bacteria destroyed by phagocytes in the blood of a test patient to the number destroyed in the blood of a normal individual
refractive index
n (Physics) a measure of the extent to which radiation is refracted on passing through the interface between two media. It is the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction, which can be shown to be equal to the ratio of the phase speed in the first medium to that in the second. In the case of electromagnetic radiation, esp. light, it is usual to give values of the absolute refractive index of a medium, that is for radiation entering the medium from free space., (Symbol)
ν, μ
retail price index
n (in Britain) a list, based on government figures and usually published monthly, that shows the extent of change in the prices of a range of goods selected as being essential items in the budget of a normal household, (Abbrev)
RPI
share index
n an index showing the movement of share prices
See →
Financial Times Industrial Ordinary Share Index →
Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index
temperature-humidity index
n an index of the effect on human comfort of temperature and humidity levels, 65 being the highest comfortable level
thumb index
n
1 a series of indentations cut into the fore edge of a book to facilitate quick reference
vb
♦
thumb-index
2 tr to furnish with a thumb index
wholesale price index
n an indicator of price changes in the wholesale market
