big data

noun

: an accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by traditional database management tools

Did you know?

Big data is a new addition to our language, but exactly how new is not an easy matter to determine. A 1980 paper by Charles Tilly provides an early documented use of big data, but Tilly wasn't using the word in the exact same way we use it today; rather, he used the phrase "big-data people" to refer to historians engaged in data-rich fields such as cliometrics. Today, big data can refer to large data sets or to systems and solutions developed to manage such large accumulations of data, as well as for the branch of computing devoted to this development. Francis X. Diebold, a University of Pennsylvania economist, who has written a paper exploring the origin of big data as a term, a phenomenon, and a field of study, believes the term "probably originated in lunch-table conversations at Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) in the mid 1990s…."

Examples of big data in a Sentence

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On the leaderboards, Palantir Technologies, a software company that specializes in AI and big data analysis, has surged 360%, overtaking AI chip industry leader Nvidia, last year’s top performer, which gained 175% in 2024. Benzinga, Detroit Free Press, 28 Dec. 2024 This complexity necessitates partnerships with tech companies that specialize in areas such as computer vision, the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics. Amaan Kazi, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 The panel plus big data figures for Thursday Night Football over the past five weeks have shown about an 8 percent increase, or just under 1 million viewers, from the panel-only measure. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024 In a 2022 paper, ecological anthropologist Glenn Stone argued that the penetration of big data technologies into agriculture in the global south could hold risks for farmers. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for big data 

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big data was in 1996

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Cite this Entry

“Big data.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20data. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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