TIMELINE
THE USE OF
Today , data forms the essential building blocks of our digital society . It acts as the foundations for almost all of our digital operations , and the technologies that so much of our society depends on .
It ’ s surprising , then , to discover that the etymology of the word ‘ data ’ is by no means synonymous with technology .
In fact , the first use of the word far predates our computer technologies , and its history spans almost four centuries …
‘ DA
1640s 1897
THE FIRST ENGLISH USE OF ‘ DATA ’
The 1640s marks the first English use of the word .
‘ Data ’ derives from the Latin word datum , "( thing ) given ", and is the neutral past participle of dare , which means " to give ".
THE MEANING SHIFTS
In classical use , the word ‘ data ’ originally meant “ a fact given as the basis for calculation in mathematical problems ”.
But , from 1897 , its meaning shifted to “ numerical facts collected for future reference ”.
12 January 2023