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

Analysts say another issue worrying investors is delays to the release of important economic data due to the US government shutdown, as it is set to enter its second week.

From BBC

The data is collated using information from coroner's courts, media coverage, family testimony and Freedom of Information requests.

From BBC

And this may not even show the full picture, as three police forces did not provide useable data.

From BBC

The data revealed 18 new locations in the UK for violet coral, a species recognised for its vibrant violet branching structure.

From BBC

Veo, Google's AI video generator, is trained on a subset of YouTube videos - though it is not known how many, and whether MrBeast's videos are included in the training data.

From BBC

Related Words

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