Difference between revisions of "Definition: Information" - New World Encyclopedia
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− | + | ==Etymology== | |
+ | From [[Middle English]] ''informacion'', ''enformacion'', borrowed from Anglo-Norman ''informacioun'', ''enformation'', Old French ''information'', from [[Latin]] ''īnfōrmātiō'' (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of ''īnformāre'' (“to inform”). | ||
− | + | ==Noun== | |
− | + | '''information''' (usually uncountable, plural '''informations''') | |
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− | + | # That which resolves uncertainty; anything that answers the question of "what a given entity is." | |
− | + | # Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable [[knowledge]] of something | |
+ | #: ''I need some more '''information''' about this issue.'' | ||
+ | # The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification | ||
+ | #: ''For your '''information''', I did this because I wanted to.'' | ||
+ | # ([[law]], countable) A statement of [[criminal]] activity brought before a [[judge]] or [[magistrate]]; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offense and request a [[warrant]]; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a [[grand jury]] indictment. | ||
+ | # A service provided by [[telephone]] which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber. | ||
+ | # [[Data]] that have been processed into a [[format]] that is understandable by its intended audience. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===Derived terms=== | ||
* [[informationism]] | * [[informationism]] | ||
* [[informationist]] | * [[informationist]] | ||
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* [[information superhighway]] | * [[information superhighway]] | ||
* [[information theory]] | * [[information theory]] | ||
+ | * [[info]] short form of information | ||
+ | * [[inside information]] | ||
− | + | ===Related terms=== | |
* [[inform]] | * [[inform]] | ||
* [[informant]] | * [[informant]] | ||
+ | * [[informatics]] | ||
{{Wictionary_credits|information|5501495}} | {{Wictionary_credits|information|5501495}} |
Latest revision as of 19:17, 12 July 2023
Etymology
From Middle English informacion, enformacion, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”).
Noun
information (usually uncountable, plural informations)
- That which resolves uncertainty; anything that answers the question of "what a given entity is."
- Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something
- I need some more information about this issue.
- The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification
- For your information, I did this because I wanted to.
- (law, countable) A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offense and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.
- A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.
- Data that have been processed into a format that is understandable by its intended audience.
Derived terms
- informationism
- informationist
- information retrieval
- information science
- information society
- information superhighway
- information theory
- info short form of information
- inside information
Related terms
- inform
- informant
- informatics
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here: