Data \Da"ta\, n. pl. [L. pl. of datum.]
   1. See Datum.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. a collection of facts, observations, or other information
      related to a particular question or problem; as, the
      historical data show that the budget deficit is only a
      small factor in determining interest rates.

   Note: The term in this sense is used especially in reference
         to experimental observations collected in the course of
         a controlled scientific investigation.
         [PJC]

   3. (Computers) information, most commonly in the form of a
      series of binary digits, stored on a physical storage
      medium for manipulation by a computer program. It is
      contrasted with the program which is a series of
      instructions used by the central processing unit of a
      computer to manipulate the data. In some conputers data
      and execuatble programs are stored in separate locations.
      [PJC]

	

	Datum \Da"tum\, n.; pl. Data. [L. See 2d Date.]
   1. Something given or admitted; a fact or principle granted;
      that upon which an inference or an argument is based; --
      used chiefly in the plural.
      [1913 Webster]

            Any writer, therefore, who . . . furnishes us with
            data sufficient to determine the time in which he
            wrote.                                --Priestley.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. a single piece of information; a fact; especially a piece
      of information obtained by observation or experiment; --
      used mostly in the plural.
      [PJC]

   3. pl. (Math.) The quantities or relations which are assumed
      to be given in any problem.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Surveying) a point, line, or level surface used as a
      reference in measuring elevations. --RHUD
      [PJC]

   Datum line (Surv.), the horizontal or base line, from which
      the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the
      plan of a railway, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

	

	data
     See datum

	

	data
     n : a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn;
         "statistical data" [syn: information]

	

	datum
     n : an item of factual information derived from measurement or
         research [syn: data point]
     [also: data (pl)]

	

	209 Moby Thesaurus words for "data":
   ALGOL, COBOL, FORTRAN, Festschrift, a priori principle, account,
   acquaintance, affirmation, alphabetic data, alphanumeric code, ana,
   angular data, announcement, anthology, apriorism, aquarium,
   assembler, assertion, assumed position, assumption, axiom, basis,
   basis for belief, binary digit, binary scale, binary system, bit,
   blue book, body, body of evidence, brass tacks, briefing, bug,
   bulletin, byte, categorical proposition, chain of evidence,
   chrestomathy, clue, collectanea, collection, command pulses,
   commands, communication, communique, compilation, compiler,
   computer code, computer language, computer program,
   control signals, controlled quantity, corpus, correcting signals,
   datum, details, directory, dispatch, documentation, enlightenment,
   error, error signals, essential facts, essentials, evidence,
   exhibit, experience, expertise, fact, facts, factual base,
   factual information, familiarity, familiarization, feedback pulses,
   feedback signals, figures, film data, first principles,
   florilegium, foundation, fund, gen, general information, ground,
   grounds, grounds for belief, guidebook, handout, hard information,
   hexadecimal system, holdings, hypothesis, hypothesis ad hoc,
   incidental information, indication, info, information, input data,
   input quantity, instruction, instructions, intelligence, intimacy,
   item of evidence, ken, know-how, knowing, knowledge, lemma,
   library, light, machine language, major premise, manifestation,
   mark, material grounds, materials, matter, menagerie, mention,
   message, minor premise, multiple messages, muniments, museum,
   mute witness, noise, notice, notification, numeric data,
   octal system, oscillograph data, output data, output quantity,
   philosopheme, philosophical proposition, piece of evidence, play,
   polar data, position, postulate, postulation, postulatum,
   practical knowledge, premise, premises, presentation,
   presupposition, private knowledge, privity, promotional material,
   proof, proposition, propositional function, publication, publicity,
   punch-card data, random data, ratio cognoscendi, raw data,
   reason to believe, rectangular data, reference quantity, release,
   relevant fact, report, ruly English, self-knowledge, sidelight,
   sign, signals, single messages, statement, statistics, sumption,
   supposal, symptom, technic, technics, technique, text, the data,
   the details, the dope, the facts, the goods, the information,
   the know, the particulars, the picture, the scoop, the score,
   the specifics, the whole story, theorem, thesis, token,
   transmission, treasure, truth table, truth-function, truth-value,
   unorganized data, visible-speech data, white book, white paper,
   word, zoo

	

	data
     
         /day't*/ (Or "raw data")
        Numbers, characters, images, or other method of recording,
        in a form which can be assessed by a human or (especially)
        input into a computer, stored and processed there, or
        transmitted on some digital channel.  Computers nearly
        always represent data in binary.
     
        Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by some
        kind of data processing system does it take on meaning and
        become information.
     
        People or computers can find patterns in data to perceive
        information, and information can be used to enhance
        knowledge.  Since knowledge is prerequisite to wisdom, we
        always want more data and information.  But, as modern
        societies verge on information overload, we especially need
        better ways to find patterns.
     
        1234567.89 is data.
     
        "Your bank balance has jumped 8087% to $1234567.89" is
        information.
     
        "Nobody owes me that much money" is knowledge.
     
        "I'd better talk to the bank before I spend it, because of
        what has happened to other people" is wisdom.
     
        (1999-04-30)