metadata

[ met-uh-dey-tuh, ‐-dat-uh, ‐-dah-tuh ]

noun

, (usually used with a singular verb)

1. data that describes, annotates, or gives information about other data, including but not limited to tags in a programming code, information about a digital file's characteristics, or a library catalog showing the location and call number of books: In their surveillance operations, intelligence agencies were able to access such metadata as the phone numbers involved and duration of phone calls.

   Search engine spiders use content and HTML metadata to index websites.

   In their surveillance operations, intelligence agencies were able to access such metadata as the phone numbers involved and duration of phone calls.

metadata

plural noun

1. computing information that is held as a description of stored data

Word History and Origins

Origin of metadata¹

First recorded in 1965–70; meta- (in the sense “analyzing material at a higher level”) + data ( def )

Example Sentences

His company uses AI models to collate detailed metadata and intelligence to create archives of the continent’s diverse music heritage.

From BBC

The co-conspirator is said to have supplied him with thousands of tracks a month in exchange for track metadata, such as song and artist names, as well as a monthly cut of streaming revenue.

From BBC

Contracts have to be checked, original recordings have to be sourced, and streaming services require reams of metadata.

From BBC

Much of their testimony focused on identifying the documents Teran is accused of sending to Revel and offering detailed descriptions of metadata linking them to files she had received years earlier at the Sheriff’s Department.

From Los Angeles Times

BBC Verify checked the metadata of this image, which confirmed it was taken on an iPhone 12 Pro Max device on 7 August at 18:28 local time.

From BBC