card index
1
4.4
- noun
- /kɑrd ˈɪndɛks/
- Archaic
:
índice de tarjetas
- She referred to the card index to locate the specific articles on marine biology.
Examples
-
To organize his research materials, he created a card index of all his sources.
-
Now the employee was consulting a card index and urging me to fill out an order blank.
Fiction book (1991) -
The librarian used a card index to help students find the books they needed.
Synonyms
39
2.7
An alphabetical list at the back of a book that shows where topics are mentioned
1
3.7
A set of paper cards in drawers that lists library books and where to find them
How Organized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: an 'index' (a list used for finding items) that is made up of 'cards' (individual rectangular entries), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a listing on cards used to organize information. This construction follows common noun + noun compounding patterns and has close equivalents in many languages, making it readily understandable at B1.
Etymology
Card index comes from the simple picture of small paper cards kept in a box and put in order by name. Each card had one entry, so people could flip through the index to find a book or item quickly, which is why a card index means 'an alphabetical listing' used to organize information like a library.