metadata
noun
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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
Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Providing detailed insight into differences between audio and video files, even in the absence of metadata, Matchbox enables rapid application of changes in post-production while preserving previous creative work.
—Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Kyung-Shick Choi, the director of cybercrime and cybersecurity at Boston University's Metropolitan College, said such residual data can still remain in the server systems that store, process or temporarily cache video files and metadata.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The Ḫattuša archivists developed a catalog and corresponding metadata — titles taken from the first words of each text, brief descriptions of contents, genre classifications, and the like.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metadata
Cite this Entry
“Metadata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metadata. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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