data

[dey-tuh, dat-uh]

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.

data

/ 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

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

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 Wall Street Journal analyzed the number of justifiable homicides reported by police agencies that consistently filed monthly crime data to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System from 2019 to 2024.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"As far as we know, we are the first solution comparing all the manufacturing data and the commercial data," she says.

Read more on BBC

“I wanted people who would look at data without preconceived notions,” he said.

Read more on MarketWatch

The long shutdown created a data “black hole” of sorts from October through mid-November.

Read more on MarketWatch

It said had received credible reports that "unidentified hackers" had penetrated the Somali government's e-visa platform, potentially compromising data from at least 35,000 people.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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