table of contents

/ˈteɪbəl əv ˈkɑntɛnts/

/ˈteɪbəl əv ˈkɒntɛnts/

Other forms: tables of contents

The list of chapters and page numbers at the beginning of a book is the table of contents. If you need to review the chapter in your biology book that discusses plants, the table of contents will help you find it.

If you love the part in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Lucy first finds the magic portal to Narnia, you can easily check the table of contents and turn to the section titled "Lucy looks into a wardrobe." This term has been around since around the time the printing press was invented in the 15th century. Tables of contents are especially useful for long nonfiction books, academic papers, and magazines.

Definitions of table of contents

1. noun

   a list of divisions (chapters or articles) and the pages on which they start
   synonyms: contents

   type of:

   list, listing

   a database containing an ordered array of items (names or topics)

   table, tabular array

   a set of data arranged in rows and columns