Index

An index is an indirect shortcut derived from and pointing into a greater volume of values, data, information or knowledge. Index may refer to:

Business

Publishing

Database index

A database index is a data structure that improves the speed of data retrieval operations on a database table at the cost of additional writes and storage space to maintain the index data structure. Indexes are used to quickly locate data without having to search every row in a database table every time a database table is accessed. Indexes can be created using one or more columns of a database table, providing the basis for both rapid random lookups and efficient access of ordered records.

An index is a copy of select columns of data from a table that can be searched very efficiently that also includes a low-level disk block address or direct link to the complete row of data it was copied from. Some databases extend the power of indexing by letting developers create indices on functions or expressions. For example, an index could be created on upper(last_name), which would only store the upper case versions of the last_name field in the index. Another option sometimes supported is the use of partial indices, where index entries are created only for those records that satisfy some conditional expression. A further aspect of flexibility is to permit indexing on user-defined functions, as well as expressions formed from an assortment of built-in functions.

Index (typography)

The symbol ☞ is a punctuation mark, called an index, manicule (from the Latin root manus for "hand" and manicula for "little hand") or fist. Other names for the symbol include printer's fist, bishop's fist, digit, mutton-fist, hand, hand director, pointer, and pointing hand.

History

The symbol originates in scribal tradition of the medieval and Renaissance period, appearing in the margin of manuscripts to mark corrections or notes.

Manicules are first known to appear in the 12th century in handwritten manuscripts in Spain, and became common in the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy with some very elaborate with shading and artful cuffs. Some were playful and elaborate, but others were as simple as "two squiggly strokes suggesting the barest sketch of a pointing hand" and thus quick to draw.

After the popularization of the printing press starting in the 1450s, the handwritten version continued in handwritten form as a means to annotate printed documents. Early printers using a type representing the manicule included Mathias Huss and Johannes Schabeler in Lyons in their 1484 edition of Paulus Florentinus' Breviarum totius juris canonici.

Royal

Royal may refer to:

Places

United States

Elsewhere

Schools

Companies

Fundy Royal

Fundy Royal (formerly known as Royal from 1914 to 1966, Fundy—Royal from 1966 to 2003, and Fundy in 2003-2004) is a federal electoral district in southern New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1917.

The riding roughly covers the area in between the three largest cities in the province; Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. Included in the riding are the towns of Quispamsis, Hampton, Sussex, St. Martins, Petitcodiac, Salisbury and part of Riverview. Also included are the area around Loch Lomond east of Saint John, and the Kingston Peninsula.

The neighbouring ridings are Saint John—Rothesay, New Brunswick Southwest, Fredericton, Miramichi—Grand Lake, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, and Beauséjour.

History

The riding of "Royal" was created in 1914. The name came from the counties of Queens and Kings, of which it was composed.

In 1966, Royal riding was amalgamated with most of Albert County and a rural portion of Saint John County into a new riding, "Fundy—Royal". One parish in Queens county was reapportioned into York—Sunbury at this time. In the 2003 redistribution, it lost almost all of Queens County and a large part of Kings County to other ridings; while gaining western Westmorland County. The riding was renamed "Fundy". This name was changed to "Fundy Royal" in 2004. As per the 2012 federal electoral redistribution, this riding will gain territories from Beauséjour, Saint John and New Brunswick Southwest, and lose a small territory to the new riding of Saint John—Rothesay.

Royal (sail)

A royal is a small sail flown immediately above the topgallant on square rigged sailing ships. It was originally called the "topgallant royal" and was used in light and favorable winds.

Royal sails were normally found only on larger ships with masts tall enough to accommodate the extra canvas. Royals were introduced around the turn of the 18th century, but were not usually flown on the mizzenmast until the end of that century. It gave its name to a Dutch term for a light breeze—the Royal Sail Breeze or bovenbramzeilskoelte was a Force 2 wind on the Beaufort Scale.

See also

Notes