data

American  

[dey-tuh, dat-uh] / ˈdeɪ tə, ˈdæt ə /

noun

1. (usually used with a singular verb) information in digital format, as encoded text or numbers, or multimedia images, audio, or video.

   The data was corrupted and can’t be retrieved.

   Data is entered for immediate processing by the computer.

2. (used with a singular verb) a body of facts; information.

   Additional data is available from the president of the firm.

3. (used with a plural verb) individual facts, statistics, or items of information.

   These data represent the results of our analyses.

4. a plural of datum.

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data British  

/ ˈdeɪtə, ˈdɑːtə /

plural noun

1. a series of observations, measurements, or facts; information

2. Also called: information.  computing the information operated on by a computer program

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Usage

Data is a plural of datum, which is originally a Latin noun meaning “something given.” Today, data is used in English both as a plural noun meaning “facts or pieces of information” ( These data are described more fully elsewhere ) and as a singular mass noun meaning “information” ( Not much data is available on flood control in Brazil ). It is usually treated as a plural in scientific and academic writing. In the digital or computer sense it is almost always treated as a mass noun and used with a singular verb. In other types of writing it is either singular or plural. The Latinate singular datum meaning “a piece of information” is now rare in all types of writing. In surveying and civil engineering, where datum has specialized senses, the plural form is datums.

Although now often used as a singular noun, data is properly a plural

Other Word Forms

• predata noun

Etymology

Origin of data

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin, plural of datum ( def. )

Example Sentences

The deal appears focused on connecting AWS data centers with AT&T’s fiber and Amazon Leo’s nascent satellite constellation supporting AT&T’s commercial customers.

From MarketWatch

Concerns about circular lending, and the massive capital investment required to build data centers, were front of mind.

From MarketWatch

Google, like other tech companies, plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to develop AI models and build the data centers needed to train and run them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Media reports say that this target was met last month, although data from the Agriculture Department don’t confirm that.

From The Wall Street Journal

Arm Holdings ARM 0.33%increase; green up pointing triangle logged lower profit in its latest quarter despite a rise in sales due to increased demand for its chips in artificial intelligence data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dossier
• evidence
• goods
• info
• input
• knowledge
• picture
• statistics
• testimony