data

[ dey-tuh, dat-uh ]

noun

1. (usually used with a singular verb) Digital Technology. 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.

data

/ ˈdeɪtə; ˈdɑːtə /

plural noun

1. a series of observations, measurements, or facts; information
2. Also calledinformation computing the information operated on by a computer program

Usage Note

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.

Usage

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

Other Words From

• pre·da·ta noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of data¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of data¹

C17: from Latin, literally: (things) given, from dare to give

Example Sentences

The group is adding the data to SoyBase, a collaborative online database for soybean research.

From Science Daily

A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market.

From Los Angeles Times

The report said this was "considerably lower than might have been expected based on data from previous years".

From BBC

After careful evaluation of the extensive data, the results are now available: they provide detailed information on changes in the morphology and structure of the material, but also on chemical processes during discharge.

From Science Daily

For the study, Hewlett and colleagues use observational and ethnographic data to examine nine different modes of cultural transmission, meaning from whom and how children learn, in hunter-gatherer societies.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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