da|ta

da|ta «DAY tuh, DAT uh, DAH tuh», noun (plural). of da|tum.

things known or granted; information; facts: »

Names, ages, and other data about the class are written in the teacher's notebook.

Usage Data is the plural of the seldom-used singular datum. Since its meaning is often collective, referring to a group of facts as a unit, data is often used with a singular verb in informal English: »

The data we have collected is not enough to be convincing.

Formal English continues to regard data as a plural rather than as a collective noun: »

Our task is to analyze the data that have been secured.