The word statistics is derived from the Latin word "status," the Italian word "statist," the German word "statistic" and the French word "statistique," each of which gives the same meaning of "political state."  Statistical concepts are applied in numerous fields such as science, weather forecasting, census collection, and marketing, just to mention a few.

When the word statistics is used in a singular context, it may be defined as a scientific method that is employed for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data and drawing a conclusion or comparison.
When used as a plural, it may be defined as data which is qualitative as well as quantitative.