Vectorising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure of transforming data into vector formats to optimize processing and analysis for various applications
2. Converting information into vector representation which facilitates computations and enhances algorithm efficiency
3. The process of changing data into a vector format to improve processing and use in computations

Etymology: Vectorising is the present participle of "vectorise", meaning to encode data as numerical vectors. The verb takes its whole history from "vector", which comes from Latin "vector", meaning "carrier", and ultimately from "vehere", "to carry", the same root behind "vehicle". The core idea is literal carrying: a vector carries a quantity along a direction, or, in epidemiology, carries a disease from host to host. The verb itself is "vector" with the suffix "-ise" added. That ending passes through Middle French "-iser" and Late Latin "-izare" back to the Greek "-izein", and it was used to turn nouns into verbs meaning to make or treat something in a certain way.