Independent - Indicator

Prev Next

Independent (?), n. 1. (Eccl.) One who believes that an organized Christian church is complete in itself, competent to self-government, and independent of all ecclesiastical authority.
[ Webster]

☞ In England the name is often applied (commonly in the pl.) to the Congregationalists.
[ Webster]

2. (Politics) One who does not acknowledge an obligation to support a party's candidate under all circumstances; one who exercises liberty in voting.
[ Webster]

Independentism (?), n. Independency; the church system of Independents. Bp. Gauden.
[ Webster]

Independently, adv. In an independent manner; without control.
[ Webster]

Indeposable (?), a. Incapable of being deposed. [R.]
[ Webster]

Princes indeposable by the pope. Bp. Stillingfleet.
[ Webster]

Indepravate (?), a. [L. indepravatus.] Undepraved. [R.] Davies (Holy Roode).
[ Webster]

Indeprecable (?), a. [L. indeprecabilis. See not, and .] Incapable or undeserving of being deprecated. Cockeram.
[ Webster]

Indeprehensible (?), a. [L. indeprehensibilis. See not, and .] Incapable of being found out. Bp. Morton.
[ Webster]

Indeprivable (?), a. Incapable of being deprived, or of being taken away.
[ Webster]

Indescribable, a. Incapable of being described.
[ Webster]

Indescribably, adv. In an indescribable manner; to a degree impossible to desribe; as, indescribably beautiful.
[PJC]

Indescriptive (?), a. Not descriptive.
[ Webster]

Indesert (?), n. Ill desert. [R.] Addison.
[ Webster]

Indesinent (?), a. [L. indesinens. See not, and .] Not ceasing; perpetual. [Obs.] Baxter. -- Indesinently, adv. [Obs.] Ray.
[ Webster]

Indesirable (?), a. Undesirable.
[ Webster]

Indestructibility (?), n. [Cf. F. indestructibilité.] The quality of being indestructible.
[ Webster]

Indestructible, a. [Pref. in- not + destructible: cf. F. indestructible.] Not destructible; incapable of decomposition or of being destroyed; as, the Russian harvesters had primitive electronics, but they were built so sturdily they were almost indestructible. -- Indestructibleness, n. -- Indestructibly, adv.
[ Webster]

Indeterminable (?), a. [L. indeterminabilis: cf. F. indéterminable. See not, and Determine.] Not determinable; impossible to be determined; not to be definitely known, ascertained, defined, or limited. -- Indeterminably, adv.
[ Webster]

Indeterminable, n. An indeterminable thing or quantity. Sir T. Browne.
[ Webster]

Indeterminate (?), a. [L. indeterminatus.] Not determinate; not certain or fixed; indefinite; not precise; as, an indeterminate number of years. Paley.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Indeterminate analysis (Math.), that branch of analysis which has for its object the solution of indeterminate problems. -- Coloq. Indeterminate coefficients (Math.), coefficients arbitrarily assumed for convenience of calculation, or to facilitate some artifice of analysis. Their values are subsequently determined. -- Coloq. Indeterminate equation (Math.), an equation in which the unknown quantities admit of an infinite number of values, or sets of values. A group of equations is indeterminate when it contains more unknown quantities than there are equations. -- Coloq. Indeterminate inflorescence (Bot.), a mode of inflorescence in which the flowers all arise from axillary buds, the terminal bud going on to grow and sometimes continuing the stem indefinitely; -- called also acropetal inflorescence, botryose inflorescence, centripetal inflorescence, and indefinite inflorescence. Gray. -- Coloq. Indeterminate problem (Math.), a problem which admits of an infinite number of solutions, or one in which there are fewer imposed conditions than there are unknown or required results. -- Coloq. Indeterminate quantity (Math.), a quantity which has no fixed value, but which may be varied in accordance with any proposed condition. -- Coloq. Indeterminate series (Math.), a series whose terms proceed by the powers of an indeterminate quantity, sometimes also with indeterminate exponents, or indeterminate coefficients.

-- Indeterminately adv. -- Indeterminateness, n.
[ Webster]

Indetermination (?), n. [Pref. in- not + determination: cf. indétermination.]
[ Webster]

1. Lack of determination; an unsettled or wavering state, as of the mind. Jer. Taylor.
[ Webster]

2. Lack of fixed or stated direction. Abp. Bramhall.
[ Webster]

Indetermined (?), a. Undetermined.
[ Webster]

Indevirginate (?), a. [See not, .] Not devirginate. [Obs.] Chapman.
[ Webster]

Indevote (?), a. [L. indevotus: cf. F. indévot. Cf. .] Not devoted. [Obs.] Bentley. Clarendon.
[ Webster]

Indevotion (?), n. [L. indevotio: cf. F. indévotion.] Lack of devotion; impiety; irreligion. “An age of indevotion.” Jer. Taylor.
[ Webster]

Indevout (?), a. [Pref. in- not + devout. Cf. .] Not devout. -- Indevoutly, adv.
[ Webster]

Indew (?), v. t. To indue. [Obs.] Spenser.
[ Webster]

Index (?), n.; pl. E. Indexes (#), L. Indices (#)(�). [L.: cf. F. index. See , .]
[ Webster]

1. That which points out; that which shows, indicates, manifests, or discloses; as, the increasing unemployment rate is an index of how much the economy has slowed.
[ Webster +PJC]

Tastes are the indexes of the different qualities of plants. Arbuthnot.
[ Webster]

2. That which guides, points out, informs, or directs; a pointer or a hand that directs to anything, as the hand of a watch, a movable finger or other form of pointer on a gauge, scale, or other graduated instrument. In (printing), a sign [☞] (called also fist) used to direct particular attention to a note or paragraph.
[ Webster]

3. A table for facilitating reference to topics, names, and the like, in a book, usually giving the page on which a particular word or topic may be found; -- usually alphabetical in arrangement, and printed at the end of the volume. Typically found only in non-fiction books.
[ Webster +PJC]

4. A prologue indicating what follows. [Obs.] Shak.
[ Webster]

5. (Anat.) The second finger, that next to the pollex (thumb), in the manus, or hand; the forefinger; index finger.
[ Webster]

6. (Math.) The figure or letter which shows the power or root of a quantity; the exponent. [In this sense the plural is always indices.]
[ Webster]

7. The ratio, or formula expressing the ratio, of one dimension of a thing to another dimension; as, the vertical index of the cranium.
[Webster Suppl.]

8. A number providing a measure of some quantity derived by a formula, usually a form of averaging, from multiple quantities; -- used mostly in economics; as, the index of leading indicators; the index of industrial production; the consumer price index. See, for example, the .
[PJC]

9. (computers) A file containing a table with the addresses of data items, arranged for rapid and convenient search for the addresses.
[PJC]

10. (computers) A number which serves as a label for a data item and also represents the address of a data item within a table or array.
[PJC]

11. (R. C. Ch.), The Index prohibitorius, a catalogue of books which are forbidden by the church to be read; also called Index of forbidden books and Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
[PJC]

Coloq. Index error , the error in the reading of a mathematical instrument arising from the zero of the index not being in complete adjustment with that of the limb, or with its theoretically perfect position in the instrument; a correction to be applied to the instrument readings equal to the error of the zero adjustment. -- Coloq. Index expurgatorius . [L.] See Index prohibitorius (below). -- Coloq. Index finger . See , 5. -- Coloq. Index glass , the mirror on the index of a quadrant, sextant, etc. -- Coloq. Index hand , the pointer or hand of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; a hand that points to something. -- Coloq. Index of a logarithm (Math.), the integral part of the logarithm, and always one less than the number of integral figures in the given number. It is also called the characteristic. -- Coloq. Index of refraction , or Coloq. Refractive index (Opt.), the number which expresses the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction. Thus the index of refraction for sulphur is 2, because, when light passes out of air into sulphur, the sine of the angle of incidence is double the sine of the angle of refraction. -- Coloq. Index plate , a graduated circular plate, or one with circular rows of holes differently spaced; used in machines for graduating circles, cutting gear teeth, etc. -- Coloq. Index prohibitorius [L.], or Coloq. Prohibitory index (R. C. Ch.), a catalogue of books which are forbidden by the church to be read; the index expurgatorius [L.], or expurgatory index, is a catalogue of books from which passages marked as against faith or morals must be removed before Catholics can read them. These catalogues are published with additions, from time to time, by the Congregation of the Index, composed of cardinals, theologians, etc., under the sanction of the pope. Hook. -- Coloq. Index rerum [L.], a tabulated and alphabetized notebook, for systematic preservation of items, quotations, etc.
[ Webster]

Index (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Indexed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Indexing.] 1. To provide with an index or table of references; to put into an index; as, to index a book, or its contents.
[ Webster]

2. (Economics) To adjust (wages, prices, taxes, etc.) automatically so as to compensate for changes in prices, usually as measured by the or other economic measure. Its purpose is usually to copensate for inflation.
[PJC]

3. To insert (a word, name, file folder, etc.) into an index or into an indexed arrangement; as, to index a contract under its date of signing.
[PJC]

indexation n. a system of economic regulation in which wages and interest are tied to the cost-of-living index in order to compenaste for the effects of inflation.
[WordNet 1.5]

Indexer (?), n. One who makes an index.
[ Webster]

Indexical (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or like, an index; having the form of an index.
[ Webster]

Indexically, adv. In the manner of an index.
[ Webster]

Indexterity (?), n. [Pref. in- not + dexterity: cf. F. indextérité.] Lack of dexterity or readiness, especially in the use of the hands; clumsiness; awkwardness. Harvey.
[ Webster]

India (?), n. [See .] A country in Southern Asia; the two peninsulas of Hither and Farther India; in a restricted sense, Hither India, or Hindostan.
[ Webster]

Coloq. India ink , a nearly black pigment brought chiefly from China, used for water colors. It is in rolls, or in square, and consists of lampblack or ivory black and animal glue. Called also China ink. The true India ink is sepia. See . -- Coloq. India matting , floor matting made in China, India, etc., from grass and reeds; -- also called Canton matting or China matting. -- Coloq. India paper , a variety of Chinese paper, of smooth but not glossy surface, used for printing from engravings, woodcuts, etc. -- Coloq. India proof (Engraving), a proof impression from an engraved plate, taken on India paper. -- Coloq. India rubber . See . -- Coloq. India-rubber tree (Bot.), any tree yielding caoutchouc, but especially the East Indian Ficus elastica, often cultivated for its large, shining, elliptical leaves.
[ Webster]

Indiadem, v. t. To place or set in a diadem, as a gem or gems.
[ Webster]

Indiaman (?), n.; pl. Indiamen (�). A large vessel in the India trade. Macaulay.
[ Webster]

Indian (?; 277), a. [From India, and this fr. Indus, the name of a river in Asia, L. Indus, Gr. �, OPers. Hindu, name of the land on the Indus, Skr. sindhu river, the Indus. Cf. .]
[ Webster]

1. Of or pertaining to India proper; also to the East Indies, or, sometimes, to the West Indies.
[ Webster]

2. Of or pertaining to the aborigines, or Indians, of America; as, Indian wars; the Indian tomahawk.
[ Webster]

3. Made of maize or Indian corn; as, Indian corn, Indian meal, Indian bread, and the like. [U.S.]
[ Webster]

Coloq. Indian bay (Bot.), a lauraceous tree (Persea Indica). -- Coloq. Indian bean (Bot.), a name of the catalpa. -- Coloq. Indian berry . (Bot.) Same as . -- Coloq. Indian bread . (Bot.) Same as . -- Coloq. Indian club , a wooden club, which is swung by the hand for gymnastic exercise. -- Coloq. Indian cordage , cordage made of the fibers of cocoanut husk. -- Coloq. Indian cress (Bot.), nasturtium. See , 2. -- Coloq. Indian cucumber (Bot.), a plant of the genus Medeola (Medeola Virginica), a common in woods in the United States. The white rootstock has a taste like cucumbers. -- Coloq. Indian currant (Bot.), a plant of the genus Symphoricarpus (Symphoricarpus vulgaris), bearing small red berries. -- Coloq. Indian dye , the puccoon. -- Coloq. Indian fig . (Bot.) (a) The banyan. See . (b) The prickly pear. -- Coloq. Indian file , single file; arrangement of persons in a row following one after another, the usual way among Indians of traversing woods, especially when on the war path. -- Coloq. Indian fire , a pyrotechnic composition of sulphur, niter, and realgar, burning with a brilliant white light. -- Coloq. Indian grass (Bot.), a coarse, high grass (Chrysopogon nutans), common in the southern portions of the United States; wood grass. Gray. -- Coloq. Indian hemp . (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Apocynum (Apocynum cannabinum), having a milky juice, and a tough, fibrous bark, whence the name. The root it used in medicine and is both emetic and cathartic in properties. (b) The variety of common hemp (Cannabis Indica), from which hasheesh is obtained. -- Coloq. Indian mallow (Bot.), the velvet leaf (Abutilon Avicennæ). See . -- Coloq. Indian meal , ground corn or maize. [U.S.] -- Coloq. Indian millet (Bot.), a tall annual grass (Sorghum vulgare), having many varieties, among which are broom corn, Guinea corn, durra, and the Chinese sugar cane. It is called also Guinea corn. See . -- Coloq. Indian ox (Zoöl.), the zebu. -- Coloq. Indian paint . See . -- Coloq. Indian paper . See India paper, under . -- Coloq. Indian physic (Bot.), a plant of two species of the genus Gillenia (Gillenia trifoliata, and Gillenia stipulacea), common in the United States, the roots of which are used in medicine as a mild emetic; -- called also American ipecac, and bowman's root. Gray. -- Coloq. Indian pink . (Bot.) (a) The Cypress vine (Ipomœa Quamoclit); -- so called in the West Indies. (b) See China pink, under . -- Coloq. Indian pipe (Bot.), a low, fleshy herb (Monotropa uniflora), growing in clusters in dark woods, and having scalelike leaves, and a solitary nodding flower. The whole plant is waxy white, but turns black in drying. -- Coloq. Indian plantain (Bot.), a name given to several species of the genus Cacalia, tall herbs with composite white flowers, common through the United States in rich woods. Gray. -- Coloq. Indian poke (Bot.), a plant usually known as the white hellebore (Veratrum viride). -- Coloq. Indian pudding , a pudding of which the chief ingredients are Indian meal, milk, and molasses. -- Coloq. Indian purple . (a) A dull purple color. (b) The pigment of the same name, intensely blue and black. -- Coloq. Indian red . (a) A purplish red earth or pigment composed of a silicate of iron and alumina, with magnesia. It comes from the Persian Gulf. Called also Persian red. (b) See . -- Coloq. Indian rice (Bot.), a reedlike water grass. See . -- Coloq. Indian shot (Bot.), a plant of the genus Canna (Canna Indica). The hard black seeds are as large as swan shot. See . -- Coloq. Indian summer , in the United States, a period of warm and pleasant weather occurring late in autumn. See under . -- Coloq. Indian tobacco (Bot.), a species of Lobelia. See . -- Coloq. Indian turnip (Bot.), an American plant of the genus Arisæma. Arisæma triphyllum has a wrinkled farinaceous root resembling a small turnip, but with a very acrid juice. See , and . -- Coloq. Indian wheat , maize or Indian corn. -- Coloq. Indian yellow . (a) An intense rich yellow color, deeper than gamboge but less pure than cadmium. (b) See .
[ Webster]

Indian (?; 277), n. 1. A native or inhabitant of India.
[ Webster]

2. One of the aboriginal inhabitants of America; -- so called originally from the supposed identity of America with India.
[ Webster]

Indianan n. a resident of Indiana.
Syn. -- Hoosier.
[WordNet 1.5]

Indian corn (Bot.), A cereal plant of the genus Zea (Zea Mays), also simply called corn, used widely as a food; the maize, a native plant of America; more specifically: a primitive variety of Zea Mays having variegated kernels on each cob, in distinction from the more commonly used yellow corn; it is often used as decoration at Thanksgiving time. See , and .
[ Webster +PJC]

☞ In modern American usage, the word corn when unmodified usually refers to yellow corn, and Indian corn refers to the variegated variety.
[ Webster +PJC]

Indianeer (?), n. (Naut.) An Indiaman.
[ Webster]

India rubber (?). See .
[ Webster]

India steel. Same as .
[Webster Suppl.]

Indical (?), a. [From L. index, indicis, an index.] Indexical. [R.] Fuller.
[ Webster]

Indican (?), n. [See .]
[ Webster]

1. (Chem.) A glucoside (C14H17NO6) obtained from woad (indigo plant, Isatis Tinctoria) and other plants (see ), as a yellow or light brown sirup. When purified it is obtained as spear-shaped crystals. It has a nauseous bitter taste. By the action of acids, enzymes, etc., it breaks down into sugar and indigo. It is the source of natural indigo. Chemically it is the 3-glucoside of indole, H-indol-3-yl-β-D-glucopyranoside.
[ Webster +PJC]

2. (Physiol. Chem.) An indigo-forming substance, found in urine, and other animal fluids, and convertible into red and blue indigo (urrhodin and uroglaucin). Chemically, it is indoxyl sulphate of potash, C8H6NSO4K, and is derived from the indol formed in the alimentary canal. Called also uroxanthin.
[ Webster]

Indicant (?), a. [L. indicans, p. pr. indicare. See .] Serving to point out, as a remedy; indicating.
[ Webster]

Indicant, n. That which indicates or points out; as, an indicant of the remedy for a disease.
[ Webster]

Indicate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Indicated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Indicating (?).] [L. indicatus, p. p. of indicare to indicate; pref. in- in + dicare to proclaim; akin to dicere to say. See , and cf. , .]
[ Webster]

1. To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.
[ Webster]

That turns and turns to indicate
From what point blows the weather.
Cowper.
[ Webster]

2. (Med.) To show or manifest by symptoms; to point to as the proper remedies; as, great prostration of strength indicates the use of stimulants. Opposite of contraindicate.
[ Webster +PJC]

3. (Mach.) To investigate the condition or power of, as of steam engine, by means of an indicator.

Syn. -- To show; mark; signify; denote; discover; evidence; evince; manifest; declare; specify; explain; exhibit; present; reveal; disclose; display.
[ Webster]

Indicated (?), a. Shown; denoted; registered; measured.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Indicated power . See Indicated horse power, under .
[ Webster]

Indication (?), n. [L. indicatio: cf. F. indication.]
[ Webster]

1. Act of pointing out or indicating.
[ Webster]

2. That which serves to indicate or point out; mark; token; sign; symptom; evidence.
[ Webster]

The frequent stops they make in the most convenient places are plain indications of their weariness. Addison.
[ Webster]

3. Discovery made; information. Bentley.
[ Webster]

4. Explanation; display. [Obs.] Bacon.
[ Webster]

5. (Med.) Any symptom or occurrence in a disease, which serves to direct to suitable remedies. Opposite of contraindication.

Syn. -- Proof; demonstration; sign; token; mark; evidence; signal.
[ Webster]

Indicative (?), a. [L. indicativus: cf. F. indicatif.]
[ Webster]

1. Pointing out; bringing to notice; giving intimation or knowledge of something not visible or obvious.
[ Webster]

That truth is productive of utility, and utility indicative of truth, may be thus proved. Bp. Warburton.
[ Webster]

2. (Fine Arts) Suggestive; representing the whole by a part, as a fleet by a ship, a forest by a tree, etc.
[ Webster]

Coloq. Indicative mood (Gram.), that mood or form of the verb which indicates, that is, which simply affirms or denies or inquires; as, he writes; he is not writing; has the mail arrived?
[ Webster]

Indicative, n. (Gram.) The indicative mood.
[ Webster]

Indicatively, adv. In an indicative manner; in a way to show or signify.
[ Webster]

Indicator (ĭndĭkātẽr), n. [L.: cf. F. indicateur.]
[ Webster]

1. One who, or that which, shows or points out; as, a fare indicator in a street car.
[ Webster]

2. (Mach.) A pressure gauge; a water gauge, as for a steam boiler; an apparatus or instrument for showing the working of a machine or moving part; as: (a) (Steam Engine) An instrument which draws a diagram showing the varying pressure in the cylinder of an engine or pump at every point of the stroke. It consists of a small cylinder communicating with the engine cylinder and fitted with a piston which the varying pressure drives upward more or less against the resistance of a spring. A lever imparts motion to a pencil which traces the diagram on a card wrapped around a vertical drum which is turned back and forth by a string connected with the piston rod of the engine. See Indicator card (below). (b) A telltale connected with a hoisting machine, to show, at the surface, the position of the cage in the shaft of a mine, etc.
[ Webster]

Prev Next

Concept Explore Home

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z