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machine-readable

machine-readable

1 4.0
Data in a form that a computer can read and use without human help
  • adjective
  • /məˈʃin ˈriːdəbl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : legible por máquina
  • XBRL adds a vital attribute to financial reporting as it provides an explicit semantic and machine-readable representation of the information elements found in business reporting in general and in financial statements in particular (Debreceny and Gray 2001).
  • machine-readable form

Today we can take a routine job codified in a set of machine readable instructions and then replicate it a million times.

Examples

  • The PPACA went beyond ARRA, however, by adding provisions explicitly supporting machine-readable identification cards.

    Academic text (2017)
  • CUB delivers the MARC records files in the .mrc format, a machine-readable file format suitable for batch loading of the records into their local ILS systems.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Governments must work to put all public data available on the open web and in machine-readable formats.

    Blog text (11)
  • Be forewarned: in the digital age, much of their data is not machine-readable.

    Blog text (3)
  • Library metadata will need to be more truly machine-readable to be more readily incorporated into the Web.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health provided the number of reported AIDS cases by census tract and year in machine-readable form.

    Academic text (1990)
  • RSS feeds provide a way to generate machine-readable files, which could then share data between servers and users.

    Blog text (15)
  • Finally, the usual array of census data organized by census tract was available in machine-readable form.

    Academic text (1990)
  • XML is a flexible and widely used standard for encoding information in a format that is both human and machine readable, which facilitates its use in Internet applications.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Citizens of all countries must have a machine-readable passport to enter the United States.

Synonyms

computer-readable
vsmachine-readable
  • Specialized
1 4.1

Data or files in a form a computer can read directly

is stricter, requiring no human action to allow direct processing
machinable
vsmachine-readable
  • Specialized
5.1

Can be read and processed by a computer without human help

is specifically about ready data formats needing no manual conversion
machine-accessible
vsmachine-readable
  • Specialized
5.9

Able to be read or used by a computer

focuses on file format for immediate processing rather than mere access

How Machine-Readable

machine-readable
  • Specialized
1 4.0
machine-accessible
  • Specialized
5.9

Surface Forms

machine-readable positive

Morphology

machine-readable = machine + readable (transparent) = machine + read + able

A clear compound of 'machine' + 'readable' (read + -able), yielding the literal meaning 'able to be read by a machine'.

Etymology

Machine-readable is made from machine (a device) and readable ('able to be read'), so it literally means 'able to be read by a machine'. That's why it describes information or data that a computer can read and use directly without human help.