data

American  

[dey-tuh, dat-uh] / ˈdeɪ tə, ˈdæt ə /

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 British  

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of data

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

Example Sentences

Importantly, the data qubits themselves are never directly measured, allowing them to safely store the corrected quantum state.

From Science Daily

This technique converts image or texture data into binary ones and zeros and embeds that information directly into the material.

From Science Daily

Only back-to-back world champions South Africa scored more tries, while Opta data demonstrates a drastic improvement in comparison to every other Tier 1 nation.

From BBC

Delayed U.S. jobs and inflation data will be the key focus as investors gauge when the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates again.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sir Martyn said Ofsted is keen to use data to see where any improvement can be made "to secure a better future for children".

From BBC

Related Words

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