Wasn't "pointer finger" good enough?
February 23, 2007 3:29 PM Subscribe
Why is it called the index finger?
The finger right next to your thumb. The second one. The one you use to pick your nose, or to point and laugh at people who pick their noses. Google and the archives don't seem to know, unless I'm just being dense (which is a definite possibility). I could come up with semi-plausible theories until the cows come home, but is there a definitive answer?
The finger right next to your thumb. The second one. The one you use to pick your nose, or to point and laugh at people who pick their noses. Google and the archives don't seem to know, unless I'm just being dense (which is a definite possibility). I could come up with semi-plausible theories until the cows come home, but is there a definitive answer?
Best answer: [Origin: 1350–1400; ME < l: informer, pointer, equiv. to in- in-2 + -dec- (comb. form of dic-, show, declare, indicate; akin to teach) + -s nom. sing. ending] -- source: a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/index">Dictionary.com.
posted by acoutu at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2007
posted by acoutu at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2007
Oh....so sorry about that...toddler bumped my hand and i didn't click preview...
posted by acoutu at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2007
posted by acoutu at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2007
Best answer: . . . which is another way of saying that "pointer finger" in Latin was good enough.
posted by grobstein at 5:16 PM on February 23, 2007
posted by grobstein at 5:16 PM on February 23, 2007
In Chinese it's called the 食指 (shízhĭ), or 'eating finger'。
posted by Abiezer at 6:40 PM on February 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Abiezer at 6:40 PM on February 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Brings new meaning to the phrase finger food.
Cha-boom.
posted by oxford blue at 7:42 PM on February 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Cha-boom.
posted by oxford blue at 7:42 PM on February 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think the "index" anything tends to refer to the first or primary of something. In genetics, for instance, the 'index case' is the first appearance in a given genealogical group (so if you're the first in your family to manifest a particular recessive disorder, you're the 'index case').
posted by spaceman_spiff at 11:23 PM on February 23, 2007
posted by spaceman_spiff at 11:23 PM on February 23, 2007
FWIW, Dutch "wijsvinger" - "point(ing) finger" (Germanic roots as opposed to Latin). Fairly straightforward, and the other fingers are pretty transparent with the English names as well.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:52 PM on February 24, 2007
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:52 PM on February 24, 2007
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posted by hydrophonic at 3:33 PM on February 23, 2007