Pokédex

/ˈpoʊkə(ˌ)dɛks//-keɪ-/

noun

A fictional electronic encyclopedia with information about Pokémon.

OriginEnglish index ← Latin index ← Proto-Italic *deikō →
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Meanings

nounPokédex (plural Pokédexes)

plural Pokédexes

  1. A fictional electronic encyclopedia with information about Pokémon.

    Entomologists use catalogues and checklists to record species, such as the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) online database. The ALA includes data like a Pokédex does, including species distribution and collection information.

    2021, David Shaw, Jasmine Fellows, Puzzles and Projects, CSIRO PUBLISHING, →ISBN, page 5
    1 more example

    They're all able to make up new punny names based on their altmode without being told what they turn into--presumably their computers might even recognize the scanned Beast Mode immediately, like a Pokedex; "You've scanned a cheetah. Cheetahs are really fast."

    2012 June 5, Onslaught Six, “Does Beast Wars Deserve a Revisit?”, in alt.toys.transformers (Usenet)

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*puhô
  2. Frankish*pokō
  3. Old Frenchpoche
  4. Anglo-Normanpoket
  5. Middle Englishpocket
  6. Englishpocket
  7. Japaneseポケット
  8. Proto-Indo-European*men-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*monéyeti
  10. Proto-Italic*man-eje-
  11. Proto-Italic*moneō
  12. Proto-Italic*monestrom
  13. Latinmōnstrum
  14. Old Frenchmonstre
  15. Middle Englishmonstre
  16. Englishmonster
  17. Japaneseモンスター
  18. Japaneseポケットモンスターclip.
  19. Japaneseポケモン (Pokemon)
  20. EnglishPokémon
  21. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  22. Proto-Italic*en
  23. Old Latinen
  24. Latinin
  25. Proto-Indo-European*deyḱ-
  26. Proto-Indo-European*déyḱeti
  27. Proto-Italic*deikō
  28. Latindīcō
  29. Latinindex
  30. Englishindex
  31. EnglishPokédex

Blend of Pokémon + index, adapted from Japanese ポケモン図鑑 (Pokémon Zukan, “Pokémon illustrated encyclopedia”). The English version was introduced in the dub of the pilot episode of the Pokémon anime, originally aired in September 8, 1998.

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Pokédex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pok%C3%A9dex

MLA

“Pokédex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pok%C3%A9dex. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pokédex,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pok%C3%A9dex.

Source: Pokédex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.