English · Science & Technology
metadata
/ˈmɛt.əˌdeɪ.tə/
[/ˈmɛt.əˌdeɪ.tə/]
data about data
Advancednoun
Definition
Information that describes other data, such as the author, date, or format of a file.
Example
Photo metadata records the camera settings, the date, and often the location.
Photo metadata records the camera settings, the date, and often the location.
Etymology
From Greek 'meta' (beyond) and 'data', coined in the mid-twentieth century in information science.
How & Where It’s Used
Common in computing, archiving, and digital privacy discussions.