descriptor

American  

[dih-skrip-ter] / dɪˈskrɪp tər /

noun

1. a significant word or phrase used to categorize or describe text or other material, especially when indexing or in an information retrieval system.

2. Computers. a data item that stores the attributes of some other datum.

   a task descriptor.

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Etymology

Origin of descriptor

First recorded in 1930–35, for an earlier sense; describe + -tor, with vowel change and devoicing by analogy with similar Latin derivatives

Example Sentences

That “consume” has become the go-to descriptor for how we interact with films points to a larger denigration of the medium itself.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

Thomas Jefferson, who owned a mule named “Dr. Slop,” mimicked Sterne’s style in friendly correspondence, and was among the many readers who liked to deploy the descriptor “Shandean.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

They’re calling it “mysterious” and underscoring the name “radiation” fog, which is the scientific descriptor for such natural fog events — not an indication that they carry radioactive material.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2025

It’s an accurate descriptor considering that Smith, herself, has gone viral for making fancy meals from scratch — even DIY-ing sunscreen — while wearing exuberant fits and a full beat.

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2025

Later, octave came to mean a choice of twelve notes, not eight, and we got saddled with the wrong descriptor for ever, but I’ll explain that development when it arrives.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall