Dictionary

information en · NOUN

Pronunciation

/ˌɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/ (General-American)
(US) audio
/ˌɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/ (UK)
/ˌɪn.fəˈmæɪ.ʃən/ (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ)der.? Latin fōrma Latin fōrmō Latin īnfōrmō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Late Latin īnfōrmātiōder. Middle English enformacioun English information From Middle English enformacioun, informacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman informacioun, enformation, Old French information, from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation, conception; education”), from the participle stem of īnformāre (“to inform”). Equivalent to inform + -ation.

Meanings

(uncountable, usually) Something that provides a definitive characterization or description of the nature and attributes of a specified entity.
- And now we come to the third keystone, information.⁸ Information may be thought of as a reduction in entropy—as the ingredient that distinguishes an orderly, structured system from the vast set of random, useless ones.⁹ Imagine pages of random characters tapped out by a monkey at a typewriter, or a stretch of white noise from a radio tuned between channels, or a screenful of confetti from a corrupted computer file. Each of these objects can take trillions of different forms, each as boring as the next. But now suppose that the devices are controlled by a signal that arranges the characters or sound waves or pixels into a pattern that correlates with something in the world: the Declaration of Independence, the opening bars of “Hey Jude,” a cat wearing sunglasses. We say that the signal transmits information about the Declaration or the song or the cat.¹⁰ 2018, Steven Pinker, “Chapter 2: Entro, Evo, Info”, in Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Penguin, →ISBN:
(uncountable, usually) Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something.
- It is usual to obtain by means of a census a good deal of information beyond the bare fact of the number of persons whose existence is, for the purposes of the census, taken cognizance of. Part of this information is obtained for purposes connected with the administration of the state, such as that contained in replies to questions as to the religion, profession, &c., of the individuals numbered. 1885, W[ynnard] Ho[oper], “Population”, in The Encyclopædia Britannica […] , Ninth edition, Volume XIX, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, page 513, column 2:
- And ſo much yet did this contagion breake foorth to the harme of manie Inhabitants of his Towne, who affected the Vicont, that they which were encountred by the kinges troupes, (information being geuen of their demeanor) they were iudged to be of good prize, and voluntarely paid ranſom. 1592, Henry IV of France, A Discourse of the Great Overthrow, page 2:
- I need some more information about this issue.
- By accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information. This data collection threatens to provide the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information—which would permit China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information. 2021, Donald J. Trump, Executive Order 13971 (Addressing the Threat Posed by Applications and Other Software Developed or Controlled by Chinese Companies):
(uncountable, usually) The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification.
- At this time a great uneasiness became manifest among the Castilians, and it was rumored that Magallanes was going to deliver them over to the Portuguese; and they resolved to mutiny and seize the ships. Magallanes upon obtaining information of this was sorely grieved. He summoned the guilty ones before him one by one, but they flatly refused to come. 1903–1909, “Extracto de una carta (Extract of a letter from the Indies)”, in Emma Helen Blair, James Alexander Robertson, editors, The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898, volume 1, pages 297-299:
- For your information, I did this because I wanted to.
(countable, usually) A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.
- 'We have another deposition, doctor, to take; Mr. Irons, here, is prepared to swear informations of very singular importance.' 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Church-yard. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC:
- The second formal method of charging someone with a crime is by information. Informations are filed by prosecutors without grand jury review. 2011, Daniel E. Hall, Criminal Law and Procedure:
- On May 21, 1792, the Attorney General filed an information against Paine charging him with seditious libel. 1968, Carl B. Cone, The English Jacobins, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 131:
- That friend, […] added, with a smile, that he had more than once amused himself with the thought of a verbarian Attorney-General, authorized to bring informations ex officio against the writer or editor of any work in extensive circulation, who, after due notice issued, should persevere in misusing a word. 1830, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Concerning the Right Idea of the Constitution”, in On the Constitution of the Church and State, according to the Idea of Each: […], London: Hurst, Chance, and Co., →OCLC, footnote *, page 19:
(obsolete, uncountable, usually) The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation.
(archaic, uncountable, usually) The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training.
(archaic, uncountable, usually) The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation.
(formal, uncountable, usually) The meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation.
(uncountable, usually) Divine inspiration.
- But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon 1927 August, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “[Ariel Poems.] Journey of the Magi.”, in Collected Poems 1909–1935, London: Faber & Faber […], published September 1954, →OCLC, page 108:
(uncountable, usually) A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.
(uncountable, usually) Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit.
(qualifier:data management, uncountable, usually) The output resulting from the systematic collection, manipulation and organization of raw data into a structured, interpretable format.
(uncountable, usually) Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message).

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
informations	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Deriveds

Hyponyms

perfect information · boiler-plate information · misinformation · disinformation

information retrieval (Compound words and expressions) · information science (Compound words and expressions) · information theory (Compound words and expressions) · inform · informant · information security (Compound words and expressions) · information superhighway (Compound words and expressions) · information overload (Compound words and expressions) · information velocity (Compound words and expressions) · exformation · information society (Compound words and expressions) · information technology (Compound words and expressions) · information model (Compound words and expressions) · informatics · information symmetry (Compound words and expressions) · information system (Compound words and expressions) · knowledge

Translations (227)

tl kabatiran (communicable knowledge) · ps معلومات (communicable knowledge) · hu panasz (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · la doctrina (communicable knowledge) · tg иттилоот (communicable knowledge) · da information (communicable knowledge) · fy ynformaasje (communicable knowledge) · ur اِطِّلَاع (communicable knowledge) · id maklumat (communicable knowledge) · mk информација (communicable knowledge) · ko 안내 (communicable knowledge) · sl informacije (communicable knowledge) · ug ئاخبارات (communicable knowledge) · fi informaatio (communicable knowledge) · ckb ئاگاهی (communicable knowledge) · gur ko'osgo (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · ja 案内 (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira مَعْلومات (communicable knowledge) · tl pabatid (communicable knowledge) · ce хаам (communicable knowledge) · pam kapabaluan (communicable knowledge) · it informazione (communicable knowledge) · pam impormasiun (communicable knowledge) · ar مَعْلُومَة (communicable knowledge) · sw taarifa (communicable knowledge) · mn мэдээлэл (communicable knowledge) · ta தகவல் (communicable knowledge) · ltg zinis (communicable knowledge) · udm ивортодэт (communicable knowledge) · cy gwybodaeth (communicable knowledge) · ga fios (communicable knowledge) · uz axborot (communicable knowledge) · ka ინფო (communicable knowledge) · nds-de informatioon (communicable knowledge) · arz معلومة (communicable knowledge) · mi mōhiohio (communicable knowledge) · hi जानकारी (communicable knowledge) · ba мәғлүмәт (communicable knowledge) · la nuntii (communicable knowledge) · fi tiedonanto (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · ltg zine (communicable knowledge) · kk ақпарат (communicable knowledge) · hu bevádolás (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · el πληροφορία (communicable knowledge) · hu közlés (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · ro informație (communicable knowledge) · nah tlanonotzaliztli (communicable knowledge) · kk мағлұмат (communicable knowledge) · enm enformacioun (communicable knowledge) · ary معلومة (communicable knowledge) · ps اطلاع (communicable knowledge) · ne सुचना (communicable knowledge) · bua мэдээсэл (communicable knowledge) · pam kepabaluan (communicable knowledge) · eu informazio (communicable knowledge) · et teave (communicable knowledge) · pl wiadomość (communicable knowledge) · sk informácia (communicable knowledge) · mn өгөгдөл (communicable knowledge) · hu értesítés (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · tr haber (communicable knowledge) · ja 情報 (communicable knowledge) · br keloù (communicable knowledge) · ur اِطِّلاعات (communicable knowledge) · hu hír (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira اِطِّلاعات (communicable knowledge) · ltg jaunumi (communicable knowledge) · ru информа́ция (communicable knowledge) · gl información (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · sh информа́ција (communicable knowledge) · ru све́дение (communicable knowledge) · cmn 資訊 /资讯 (communicable knowledge) · ast información (communicable knowledge) · ang ġefrǣġe (communicable knowledge) · pl informacja (communicable knowledge) · io informo (communicable knowledge) · uz informatsiya (communicable knowledge) · pam impormasyun (communicable knowledge) · lo ຂ່າວ (communicable knowledge) · ca informació (communicable knowledge) · et informatsioon (communicable knowledge) · bg информа́ция (communicable knowledge) · ug مەلۇمات (communicable knowledge) · ur خَبَر (communicable knowledge) · az məlumat (communicable knowledge) · pam pamibalu (communicable knowledge) · hi विवरण (communicable knowledge) · fi tiedottaminen (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · hu tájékoztatás (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · hu beárulás (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · ps آګاهي (communicable knowledge) · mt informazzjoni (communicable knowledge) · ary معلومة (communicable knowledge) · hu felvilágosítás (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · bo གནས་ཚུལ (communicable knowledge) · ms maklumat (communicable knowledge) · km ដំណឹង (communicable knowledge) · ur آگاہی (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira اِسْتِحْضار (communicable knowledge) · ug خەۋەر (communicable knowledge) · sq informatë (communicable knowledge) · rue інформа́ція (communicable knowledge) · th ข้อมูล (communicable knowledge) · fi tieto (communicable knowledge) · la scientia (communicable knowledge) · tg ахборот (communicable knowledge) · hu hírközlés (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · am መረጃ (communicable knowledge) · ug ئۇچۇر (communicable knowledge) · my ပြန်ကြားရေး (communicable knowledge) · fr renseignement (communicable knowledge) · pam kebaluan (communicable knowledge) · lv informācija (communicable knowledge) · az informasiya (communicable knowledge) · ur جانْکاری (communicable knowledge) · tr bilgi (communicable knowledge) · ltg jaunums (communicable knowledge) · bn তথ্য (communicable knowledge) · hi ख़बर (communicable knowledge) · hy տեղեկատվություն (communicable knowledge) · hi खबर (communicable knowledge) · ht enfòmasyon (communicable knowledge) · ota معلومات (communicable knowledge) · es información (communicable knowledge) · la indicium (communicable knowledge) · ar كيف (communicable knowledge) · he מֵידָע (communicable knowledge) · mr माहिती (communicable knowledge) · ota خبر (communicable knowledge) · sh informácija (communicable knowledge) · cmn 情報 /情报 (communicable knowledge) · hu tájékoztatás (communicable knowledge) · vi thông tin (communicable knowledge) · be інфарма́цыя (communicable knowledge) · th ข่าว (communicable knowledge) · hu tudakozó (a service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber) · enm enformacioun (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · enm enformacioun (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · gur ko'osgo (communicable knowledge) · ky информация (communicable knowledge) · az bilgi (communicable knowledge) · ru да́нные (communicable knowledge) · cmn 信息 (communicable knowledge) · cs informace (communicable knowledge) · sv information (communicable knowledge) · tt мәгълүмат (communicable knowledge) · hu felvilágosítás (communicable knowledge) · sl informacija (communicable knowledge) · grc μήνυμα (communicable knowledge) · ltg informaceja (communicable knowledge) · ml അറിവ് (communicable knowledge) · hi सूचना (communicable knowledge) · tl impormasyon (communicable knowledge) · eo informo (communicable knowledge) · ka შეტყობინება (communicable knowledge) · am ጥቆማ (communicable knowledge) · nl informatie (communicable knowledge) · ang āscung (communicable knowledge) · pt informação (communicable knowledge) · rm infurmaziun (communicable knowledge) · gl información (communicable knowledge) · ur مَعْلُومات (communicable knowledge) · af informasie (communicable knowledge) · af inligting (communicable knowledge) · de Information (communicable knowledge) · dsb informacija (communicable knowledge) · ky билме (communicable knowledge) · jv informasi (communicable knowledge) · mi pārongo (communicable knowledge) · alt јетирӱ (communicable knowledge) · id informasi (communicable knowledge) · scn nfurmazziuni (communicable knowledge) · hu besúgás (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · yi אינפֿאָרמאַציע (communicable knowledge) · ne जानकारी (communicable knowledge) · is upplýsingar (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira اَخْبار (communicable knowledge) · nb opplysning (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira اِطِّلاع (communicable knowledge) · apw beʼígózíni yíka ntaahí (communicable knowledge) · hi आगाही (communicable knowledge) · tr malumat (communicable knowledge) · lt informacija (communicable knowledge) · fr informations (communicable knowledge) · ti ሓበሬታ (communicable knowledge) · la nūntius (communicable knowledge) · ml വിവരം (communicable knowledge) · kmr agahî (communicable knowledge) · ru инфа́ (communicable knowledge) · nb informasjon (communicable knowledge) · br ditour (communicable knowledge) · hu informálás (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · ga eolas (communicable knowledge) · ka ცნობა (communicable knowledge) · ilo pakaammo (communicable knowledge) · fa-ira آگاهی (communicable knowledge) · ka ცნობება (communicable knowledge) · lo ຂໍ້ມູນ (communicable knowledge) · da informationer (communicable knowledge) · fr information (communicable knowledge) · sq informacion (communicable knowledge) · ko 정보 (communicable knowledge) · uk інформа́ція (communicable knowledge) · sgs infuormacėjė (communicable knowledge) · hu feljelentés (''(obsolete in English)'' the act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation) · uz maʻlumot (communicable knowledge) · ar مَعْلُومَات (communicable knowledge) · ka ინფორმაცია (communicable knowledge) · pam kabaluan (communicable knowledge) · hu információ (communicable knowledge) · te సమాచారము (communicable knowledge) · cy hysbysrwydd (communicable knowledge) · ms informasi (communicable knowledge) · de Auskunft (communicable knowledge) · hy տեղեկություն (communicable knowledge) · tg маълумот (communicable knowledge) · km ព័ត៌មាន (communicable knowledge) · ky маалымат (communicable knowledge) · fi tiedotus (act of informing or imparting knowledge) · hu értesülés (communicable knowledge) · tk maglumat (communicable knowledge) · hu tudnivaló (communicable knowledge) · sw habari (communicable knowledge) · kn ಮಾಹಿತಿ (communicable knowledge) · hi तथ्य (communicable knowledge) · tk informasiýa (communicable knowledge) · ch infotmasion (communicable knowledge)