Main Entry: da·ta
Pronunciation: \ˈdā-tə, ˈda-
also ˈdä-\ Function:
noun plural but singular or plural in construction Usage:
often attributive Etymology: Latin, plural of datum Date: 1646 1
: factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation <the
data is plentiful and easily available — H. A. Gleason, Jr.> <comprehensive
data on economic growth have been published — N. H. Jacoby> 2
: information output by a sensing device or organ that includes both useful and irrelevant or redundant information and must be processed to be meaningful 3
: information in numerical form that can be digitally transmitted or processed
usage Data leads a life of its own quite independent of
datum, of which
it was originally the plural. It occurs in two constructions:
as a plural noun (like
earnings), taking a plural verb and plural modifiers (as
these, many, a few) but not cardinal numbers, and serving as a referent for plural pronouns;
and as an abstract mass noun (like
information),
taking a singular verb and singular modifiers (as
this, much, little), and being referred to by a singular pronoun.
Both constructions are standard. The plural construction is more common in print, perhaps because the house style of some publishers mandates it.
