index case

[ in-deks keys ]

nounPathology.
  1. the first documented instance of a disease or other medical condition in a population, especially the first infection in an epidemic.

  2. (loosely) index patient.

Origin of index case

1
First recorded in 1935–40

Words Nearby index case

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use index case in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for index case

index case

noun
  1. med the first case of a disease, or the primary case referred to in a report

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012