In`for*ma"tion (?), n. [F., fr. L. informatio representation, conception. See Inform, v. t.] 1. The act of informing, or communicating knowledge or intelligence.

The active informations of the intellect.

2. News, advice, or knowledge, communicated by others or obtained by personal study and investigation; intelligence; knowledge derived from reading, observation, or instruction.

Larger opportunities of information.

He should get some information in the subject he intends to handle.

3. (Law) A proceeding in the nature of a prosecution for some offense against the government, instituted and prosecuted, really or nominally, by some authorized public officer on behalf of the government. It differs from an indictment in criminal cases chiefly in not being based on the finding of a grand jury. See Indictment.

• A collection of related data.
  
• Knowledge about a topic.
  
• Data that have been processed into a format that is understandable by its intended audience.
  
• A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber: see 411.
  
• answer to a question, minimal part of information is bit (2), which is answer yes or no.
  
  French
• information
  
• (plural) news
  
  German
• information
  

• (law) a document filed in court briefly describing the nature of each charge/crime a suspect is accused of committing