n.pl. (also treated as sing., as in that is all the data we have, although the singular form is strictly datum)
1. known facts or things used as a basis for inference or reckoning.
2 quantities or characters operated on by a computer etc.
Phrases and idioms:
data bank
1. a store or source of data.
2 DATABASE. data capture the action or process of entering data into a computer. data processing a series of operations on data, esp. by a computer, to retrieve or classify etc. information. data processor a machine, esp. a computer, that carries out data processing. data protection legal control over access to data stored in computers.
Etymology: pl. of DATUM