diff --git a/Documentation/technical/index-format.txt b/Documentation/technical/index-format.txt
index 65dcfa570d..b633482b1b 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/index-format.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/index-format.txt
@@ -195,7 +195,8 @@ Git index format
   first entry represents the root level of the repository, followed by the
   first subtree--let's call this A--of the root level (with its name
   relative to the root level), followed by the first subtree of A (with
-  its name relative to A), ...
+  its name relative to A), and so on. The specified number of subtrees
+  indicates when the current level of the recursive stack is complete.
 
 === Resolve undo