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The term 'data' originates from the Latin word 'datum' and was first used in English in the 1640s, evolving to refer to computer information by 1946. In general usage, 'data' is often treated as a mass noun synonymous with 'information,' while in scientific contexts, it retains its plural form. The relationship between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom highlights that data must be analyzed to become useful information.

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4 views1 page

data_mean

The term 'data' originates from the Latin word 'datum' and was first used in English in the 1640s, evolving to refer to computer information by 1946. In general usage, 'data' is often treated as a mass noun synonymous with 'information,' while in scientific contexts, it retains its plural form. The relationship between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom highlights that data must be analyzed to become useful information.

Uploaded by

derkuzesta
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Etymology and terminology

Further information: Data (word)

The Latin word data is the plural of datum, "(thing) given," and the neuter past participle of
dare, "to give".[6] The first English use of the word "data" is from the 1640s. The word "data"
was first used to mean "transmissible and storable computer information" in 1946. The
expression "data processing" was first used in 1954.[6]

When "data" is used more generally as a synonym for "information", it is treated as a mass
noun in singular form. This usage is common in everyday language and in technical and
scientific fields such as software development and computer science. One example of this
usage is the term "big data". When used more specifically to refer to the processing and
analysis of sets of data, the term retains its plural form. This usage is common in the natural
sciences, life sciences, social sciences, software development and computer science, and
grew in popularity in the 20th and 21st centuries. Some style guides do not recognize the
different meanings of the term and simply recommend the form that best suits the target
audience of the guide. For example, APA style as of the 7th edition requires "data" to be
treated as a plural form.[7]

Meaning

Adrien Auzout's "A TABLE of the Apertures of Object-Glasses" from a 1665 article in
Philosophical Transactions

See also: DIKW pyramid

Data, information, knowledge, and wisdom are closely related concepts, but each has its
role concerning the other, and each term has its meaning. According to a common view, data
is collected and analyzed; data only becomes information suitable for making decisions
once it has been analyzed in some fashion.[8] One can say that the extent to which a set of
data is informative to someone depends on the extent to which it is unexpected by that
person. The amount of information contained in a data stream may be characterized by its
Shannon entropy.

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