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Original · left

Index (book)

An alphabetical list of names and subjects at the back of a book with page references.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Database index

A data structure that speeds up lookups on a database column at the cost of extra writes.

First in use: the 1970s

Index / Index (book) / Database index

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Canonical todayMeasuring…
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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
Last crossover—
Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

The back of a book vs. B-trees.

Which meaning of Index is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Index (book) came first (the 1500s). Database index arrived in the 1970s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Index (book)Database index
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1500s

Index (book)

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12-mo pageviews—
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Peak month—
Duplicate · the 1970s

Database index

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More duplicated terms

Data & databases