indexical

English

Etymology

From index +‎ -ical.

Adjective

indexical (comparative more indexical, superlative most indexical)

1. Of, pertaining to, or like, an index; having the form of an index.
2. (linguistics, philosophy) Having or imparting a meaning, or signifying a referent, that changes according to context.
   • 2012, Michael Silverstein, “The [] walked down the street”, in London Review of Books, volume 34, number 21:

     In order that they might represent the worlds of experience and imagination, such symbols have to be put together with ‘indexical’ signs, as Peirce termed them, such as articles (the, some), demonstratives (this, those), tense-inflections (walk-s, walk-ed), moods (may/might walk, shall/should walk) etc.

Derived terms

• indexicality
• indexically

Collocations

with nouns

• indexical expression
• indexical sign
• indexical reference

Noun

indexical (plural indexicals)

1. (linguistics, philosophy) An indexical term.
   • 2007 August 15, Wayne A. Davis, “Replies to Green, Szabó, Jeshion, and Siebel”, in Philosophical Studies, volume 137, number 3, →DOI:

     So even with indexicals, there is a Sinn for every meaning.

Further reading

• Indexicality on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “indexical”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Indexicals in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy