database meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

database

noun

AU, IE, NZ, UK /ˈdeɪtəˌbeɪs/ · US /ˈdeɪtəˌbeɪs/

Etymology From data + base.

Broadly A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.

I have a database of all my contacts in my personal organizer.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A set of tables and other objects (queries, reports, forms) in the form of a structured data set.

The "books" database will have three tables, and the "customers" database will have two tables.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Broadly, Metonymically A software program (application) for storing, retrieving and manipulating such a structured data set.

Which database do you use: MySQL or Oracle?

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Broadly, Metonymically A combination of such data sets and the programs for using them.

Synonyms: DB, data set, dataset, databank, database management system
Antonyms: nondatabase
Derived terms: database administrator, database analyst, database dump, database engine, database-first, database key, databaselike, database management system, database model, database publishing, database transaction, hyperbase, tablebase, termbase, textbase
Hyponyms: bibliographic database, container database, distributed database, distributional–relational database, embedded database, flat-file database, geodatabase, hierarchical database, metadatabase, network database, object database, object-oriented database, pluggable database, relational database, subdatabase, superdatabase

database

verb

Etymology From data + base.

To enter (data) into a database.

The resulting citation collection was databased and coded for meaning, etymon, and date range (earliest and latest occurrence found).2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 5: