metadata

noun

meta·​da·​ta ˌme-tə-ˈdā-tə 

-ˈda-

also -ˈdä-

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: data that provides information about other data

Did you know?

How Metadata Was Formed

It's easy to find data on the source of "metadata": the word was formed by combining "data" with "meta-," which means "transcending" and is often used to describe a new but related discipline designed to deal critically with the original one. "Meta-" was first used in that way in "metaphysics" and has been extended to a number of other disciplines, giving us such words as "metapsychology" and "metamathematics." "Metadata" takes the "transcending" aspect a step further, applying it to the concept of pure information instead of a discipline. "Metadata" is a fairly new word (it appeared in the latter half of the 20th century), whereas "data" can be traced back to the middle of the 17th century.

Examples of metadata in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mock-model services can simulate responses, latency, token metadata and failures without repeatedly generating real inference. — Pritam Debnath, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Titles, descriptions and other metadata for older videos and podcasts may also be revised to reflect the new terminology, while the original recordings, transcripts and captions will remain unchanged. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Police said the metadata on the video of the apparent strangulation was dated 2017, the year before Nicole was last seen. — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

And then there are open-weight models that people can run on their own hardware to produce increasingly realistic AI content that doesn’t even include simple metadata labeling. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for metadata

• bhagavata
• capitata
• ciliata
• coronata
• oblongata
• odonata
• tathagata
• acuminata
• desiderata
• fasciculata
• microbiota
• agata

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!