metadata
- 01 C1 Advanced
information that describes other data, helping you understand what it is or where it came from.
data that provides information about other data, serving as an informative label for identification or discovery.
Simple“The library uses metadata to help people find books by their author or subject.”
In context“Effective metadata management is essential for large-scale digital archives to ensure that assets remain searchable across different platforms and decades.”
UsageUsually treated as an uncountable noun in general contexts, though 'metadatum' exists as a rare singular form.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
hidden information inside a digital file, like the date it was created or the type of camera used.
structured information embedded within or associated with a file, such as timestamps, authorship, and technical specifications.
Simple“When you upload a photo, the metadata often shows exactly where you took it.”
In context“Privacy advocates warn that metadata attached to document files can inadvertently leak sensitive information about a company's internal network structure.”
Synonyms
“Most biodiversity recording relies on volunteers and local teams, which, although invaluable, results in uneven and delayed data that often lack metadata.”
“This finding was based on a citation analysis of large sets of metadata concerning scientific papers and patents.”
Formed from the Greek prefix meta-, meaning beyond or transcending, and the Latin plural noun data. The term was coined in 1969 by Jack E. Myers.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.