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viewdata

noun

An information retrieval service of the 1970s and 1980s permitting subscribers to access a remote database and receive requested data on a video display.

Scrabble 15

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Meanings

nounviewdata (usually uncountable, plural viewdatas)

plural viewdatas

attributiveoftenuncountableusuallyAn information retrieval service of the 1970s and 1980s permitting subscribers to access a remote database and receive requested data on a video display.
A viewdata system can be succinctly described as an information and message service […]
1981, Rex Winsbury, Viewdata in Action: A Comparative Study of Prestel
3 more examples
Touch-tone teletext provides many of the services of viewdata and teletext at the low cost intended for teletext alone.
1980, InfoWorld, volume 2, number 1
The two European systems use an "alphamosaic" method of delivering data to a viewdata terminal screen.
1981, New Scientist
A particularly important application of intelligent viewdata terminals is in telesoftware where the viewdata network is used for the distribution […]
1982, Alan Gilchrist, Minis, Micros and Terminals for Libraries and Information Services

Origin

From view + data.

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

viewdata. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viewdata

MLA

“viewdata.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viewdata. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “viewdata,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viewdata.

Source: viewdata on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.