Skip to main content
Language Foundation

CSV

CSV, short for Comma-Separated Values, is a plain-text file format for tabular data in which each row is on a separate line and each value in the row is separated by a comma.

In plain English

It is a simple text file used to store information arranged like a table. Each line stands for one row, and commas separate the values within that row.

In context

Here, CSV names an export file format for tabular account-related data stored as plain text with one row per line and comma-separated values.

Situation
Notification, privacy, data-export, and account-deletion settings
What it communicates
names a selectable export file format

Meaning limits

The term identifies only the file format, not what data the export includes or any result of using it.

Examples

“When he opened the CSV in a text editor, each account row appeared on a separate line with commas between the values.”

Core meaning

“For the month-end review, the clerk exported the account list as a CSV.”

In context

  • file format Broader Term

    CSV is one kind of file format.

  • TSV Contrast

    TSV is a different tabular text format that separates values with tab characters rather than commas.