The index finger, is the first finger

Finger

A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....

 and the second digit

Digit (anatomy)

A digit is one of several most distal parts of a limb, such as fingers or toes, present in many vertebrates.- Names:Some languages have different names for hand and foot digits ....

 of a human hand

Hand

A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...

. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

 and the middle finger

Middle finger

The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...

. It is usually the most dextrous and sensitive finger

Finger

A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....

 of the hand, though not the longest – it is shorter than the middle finger

Middle finger

The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...

, and may be shorter or longer than the ring finger

Ring finger

The ring finger is the fourth digit of the human hand, and the second most ulnar finger, located between the middle finger and the little finger. It is also called digitus medicinalis, the fourth finger, digitus annularis, digitus quartus, or digitus IV in anatomy.- Etymology :According to László A...

 – see digit ratio

Digit ratio

The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers typically measured from the bottom crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip of the finger. It has been suggested by some scientists that the ratio of two digits in particular, the 2nd and 4th , is affected by...

.

"Index finger" literally means "pointing finger", from the same Latin source as indicate; its anatomical names are either "index finger" or "second digit".

Uses

A lone index finger held vertically is often used to represent the number

Number

A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....

 1, or when held up or moved side to side (finger-wagging), it can be an admonitory gesture. With the hand held palm out and the thumb and middle fingers touching, it represents the letter d in the American Sign Language alphabet

American Sign Language alphabet

The American Manual Alphabet is a manual alphabet that augments the vocabulary of American Sign Language when spelling individual letters of a word is the preferred or only option, such as with proper names or the titles of works...

. In sports, it can also represent victory, as some championship

Championship

Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...

-winning teams raise their index finger (often saying "We're number one!") while posing for a championship team photo – oversized foam hands with a single upraised index are also used for this purpose; compare with the victory sign.

Pointing

The index finger being pointed at a random person or anyone, as a matter of fact, is considered rude in some places, but not in most of Western culture

Western culture

Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...

, and indeed "index finger" literally means "pointing finger", from the same Latin source as indicate. A more polite way of pointing to a person would be to direct the hand in their direction, as if holding a platter; this latter gesture is seen is some formal contexts such as on television, often accompanied by such language as "May I introduce Mr./Ms. X" or "And over here we have ...".

See also

• Digit ratio
  Digit ratio
  The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers typically measured from the bottom crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip of the finger. It has been suggested by some scientists that the ratio of two digits in particular, the 2nd and 4th , is affected by...
  
  
• Extensor indicis proprius
  Extensor indicis proprius
  -External links: - "Extensor Region of Forearm and Dorsum of Hand: Deep Muscles of Extensor Region"...
  
  
• Fingering
  Fingering
  In music, fingering is the choice of which fingers and hand positions to use when playing certain musical instruments. Fingering typically changes throughout a piece; the challenge of choosing good fingering for a piece is to make the hand movements as comfortable as possible without changing hand...
  
  
• Index (typography)
  Index (typography)
  The symbol is a punctuation mark, called an index, manicule or fist. Though rare today, this symbol was in common use between the 12th and 18th centuries in the margins of books, and was formerly included in lists of standard punctuation marks...
  
  

External links