card catalog
1
3.8
- noun
- Texting
:
catálogo de tarjetas
- The online card catalog makes it easy for students to find and request books from the library.
Examples
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Some introducers play the bibliographer, reading out a virtual card catalog of their subjects books.
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Eli surfed the Internet, browsed the computerized card catalog, read books, interviewed a local astronomer, and read about the Jupiter simulator at the Ames Research Laboratories.
Academic text (2002) -
After searching the card catalog, she found the exact book she needed for her project.
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Each item in the card catalog included a picture and a brief description to help users browse efficiently.
Synonyms
Small boxes on a screen that show related content, like an image and buttons
How Visual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun-noun composition is directly compositional: 'card' modifies 'catalog', so the phrase denotes a catalog made up of cards or card-like entries. A B1 learner who knows 'card' and 'catalog' can reasonably infer a collection or listing organized as individual cards (whether physical index cards or digital card entries), making the meaning transparent.
Etymology
The noun card catalog for websites and apps borrows the picture of those old paper cards: each screen item is shown as a small tile with a picture and a few facts like a tiny card. That's why a digital card catalog means a layout of many small item 'cards' you can browse.