Labels

A label is a descriptive identifier attached to an object to convey information, categorize it, or aid discovery. Labels can be nouns or short phrases and may appear as text, symbols, or codes. They are used across domains to organize data, items, and concepts.

In data science and machine learning, a label refers to the target value that a model learns to predict. Labeled data pairs inputs with corresponding outputs. Labels can be assigned by domain experts or via crowdsourcing, and label quality directly affects model performance. Common encoding methods include one-hot encoding for classification and numeric labeling for ordinal tasks.

In information organization, labels function as tags or metadata that describe content. They support search, filtering, and navigation. Labels may be flat or hierarchical, forming taxonomies or ontologies. Examples include file tags, blog tags, and subject headings in libraries.

In everyday life and commerce, labels appear on products and documents to convey information such as name, price, origin, ingredients, and care instructions. Regulatory and standard labels may indicate compliance, safety, or energy efficiency. Barcodes and QR codes link the label to structured data.

In computing and software, labels appear in user interfaces to describe controls, and in data systems to annotate records. In NLP and graph analytics, labels classify items or guide learning, such as sentiment labels for text or community labels in networks.

Quality and ethics matter in labeling. Inaccurate labels cause harm, misclassification, or bias. Label accuracy, consistency, and privacy considerations are important across applications, from data labeling to product labeling and accessibility.