datum

See also: dátum and Datum

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-redup.

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti

Proto-Italic *didō

Latin dō

Latin datusnom.

Latin datumlbor.

English datum

Learned borrowing from Latin datum, a nominalization of datus, perfect passive participle of dō, from Proto-Italic *didō, from Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti, reduplication of *deh₃-, or from *-ti. Doublet of die.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdeɪtəm/, /ˈdætəm/, /ˈdɑːtəm/ (see data for regional distribution)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪtəm, -ætəm, -ɑːtəm

Noun

datum (plural (sense 1 and 2) data or (senses 3 and 4) datums)

1. Something known or assumed as fact, and is made the basis of reasoning or inference which an intellectual system of any sort (such as knowledge or theoretical framework) is constructed.

   a datum of experience

   given this datum, it follows that

3. Singular of data: A single recorded phenomenon, especially obtained by scientific work.

   Synonym: data point

   Holonym: data set

4. (cartography, surveying, engineering, manufacturing) A point, line, plane, or surface with reference to which positions (such as elevations) are measured or indicated. (Examples include a permanent benchmark in leveling or mean sea level in a topographical survey).

   A geodetic datum is sometimes also called a benchmark.

   GD&T tells us that the center of a bolt circle is in fact defined by the locations of the holes themselves, as each is a datum.

   • 2000, Nuno Sergio Marques Antunes, “The Importance of the Tidal Datum in the Definition of Maritime Limits and Boundaries”, in Maritime Briefing, volume 2, number 7, International Boundaries Research Unit, University of Durham, page 5:

     In a strict sense, a tidal datum can be understood as the reference plane (or surface) to which the height of a predicted tide is referred. […] Sounding and chart datums are low water datums, that is, they refer to the level of the water surface at low tide. Nonetheless, there are also datums based on high water levels. […] These two different datums may be included in the broader category of vertical datums, which comprises any plane or surface used as a reference to measure vertical distances (such as depths, drying features, heights on shore, etc.).

   • 2007, Roger F Tomlinson, Thinking about GIS: geographic information system planning for managers:

     Datums are another important map aspect related to projection. A datum provides a base reference for measuring locations on Earth's surface.

   • 2012, Yong-Qi Chen, Yuk-Cheung Lee, chapter 2.3, in Geographical Data Acquisition:

     For horizontal measurements [on the Earth], we fix a mathematical body of Earth in space using a Cartesian coordinate system. After that, a separate coordinate system is created over the surface of this body to generate horizontal coordinates. A mathematical earth body fixed in space makes up the horizontal datum.

5. (nautical) A floating reference point, or SLDMB, used to evaluate surface currents in a body of water, and often employed by coastal search and rescue.

Usage notes

See data § Usage notes.

Derived terms

• chart datum
• datum circle
• datum line
• datum plane
• datum point
• datum surface
• metadatum
• sense datum

Translations

single piece of information

• Bulgarian: данна f (danna), изходна величина (izhodna veličina)
• Catalan: dada (ca) f
• Czech: údaj (cs) m
• Finnish: tieto (fi)
• French: donnée (fr)
• German: Fakt (de) m or n, Faktum (de) n, Informationseinheit (de) f
• Greek: δεδομένο (el) n (dedoméno)
• Hindi: दत्त (hi) (datt), प्रदत्त (hi) (pradatt)
• Ido: datumo (io), donajo (io), donatajo (io)
• Irish: sonra m
• Italian: dato (it) m
• Japanese: データ (ja) (dēta)
• Polish: dana (pl) f
• Portuguese: dado (pt) m
• Russian: элеме́нт данных (elemént dannyx), едини́ца данных (jediníca dannyx)
• Serbo-Croatian: podatak (sh) m
• Slovak: údaj m
• Slovene: podatek m
• Spanish: dato (es) m
• Tamil: தரவு (ta) (taravu)
• Turkish: veri (tr)
• Ukrainian: Датум (Datum)
• Volapük: nünod

Verb

datum (third-person singular simple present datums, present participle datuming, simple past and past participle datumed)

1. To provide missing data points by using a mathematical model to extrapolate values that are outside the range of a measuring device.
   • 1982, Paul M. Tucker, Pitfalls Revisited - Issue 3, →ISBN, page 6:

     Removing the effects of any period of deformation by datuming or flattening selective reflection horizons should restore the structure prior to the datumed horizon, or the amount of deformation above the datumed horizon.

   • 1998, Stuart Fagin, Model-based Depth Imaging, →ISBN, page 164:

     On the left the stacking velocity functions are datumed to sea level and show great disparity.

   • 2014, Hua-Wei Zhou -, Practical Seismic Data Analysis, →ISBN, page 62:

     On the other hand, if we have a sufficiently accurate near-surface velocity model, we may apply wavefield datuming to convert the raw data into new data as if they were recorded along a datum below the near surface (Box 2.3).

Related terms

• data, information
• die, dice

References

• “datum, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Philip Babcock Gove et al., editors (1961), “material n”, in Webster's Third New International Dictionary  […], volume I (A to G), published 1981, →ISBN, page 577
• “datum”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.

Czech

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-redup.

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti

Proto-Italic *didō

Latin dō

Latin datusnom.

Latin datumbor.

Czech datum

Borrowed from Latin datum (“a given”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdatum]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: da‧tum

Noun

datum n

1. date (point in time)

Declension

Declension of datum (hard neuter foreign)

	singular	plural
nominative	datum	data
genitive	data	dat
dative	datu	datům
accusative	datum	data
vocative	datum	data
locative	datu	datech
instrumental	datem	daty

Derived terms

• datum konání
• datum narození
• datum příjezdu
• datum spotřeby
• dnešní datum

Related terms

• datovat

Further reading

• “datum”, in Lingea (in Czech), 2025
• “datum”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “datum”, in Akademický slovník současné češtiny, 2012–2026, slovnikcestiny.cz

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch datum, from Latin datum (“given”, past participle) (from the practice of signing letters in Latin by noting the date on which they were dispatched). Compare English date.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdaːtʏm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: da‧tum

Noun

datum m (plural datums or data, diminutive datumpje n)

1. date (point in time)

Usage notes

Datum is one of the few Dutch words ending on -um that does not have a neutral gender.

Derived terms

• geboortedatum
• overlijdensdatum
• trouwdatum

Descendants

• Negerhollands: datum
• → Caribbean Javanese: dhatem

Noun

datum n (plural data, diminutive datumpje n)

1. datum (piece of information)

   Synonym: gegeven

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch datum, from Middle Dutch datum, from Latin datum (“given”, past participle).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈdatum/ [ˈda.t̪ʊm]
• Rhymes: -atum
• Syllabification: da‧tum

Noun

datum (plural datum-datum)

1. (obsolete) synonym of tanggal (“date, day and month”)
2. (cartography, engineering) a fixed reference point, or a coordinate system

Noun

datum (plural datum-datum or data)

1. a single information

References

• “datum”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-redup.

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti

Proto-Italic *didō

Latin dō

Latin datusnom.

Latin datum

Nominalization of datus.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈda.tũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈdaː.tum]

Noun

datum n (genitive datī); second declension

1. gift, present

   Synonyms: pretium, dōnum, praemium, datiō, oblātiō

   • c. 209 BCE, Plautus, Asinaria 1.1.40:

     Quia non suppetunt dictis data.

     Because his gifts do not match his words.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	datum	data
genitive	datī	datōrum
dative	datō	datīs
accusative	datum	data
ablative	datō	datīs
vocative	datum	data

Related terms

• datus

Descendants

• Catalan: dau
• English: datum
• French: dé
• → German: Datum
• Italian: dato, dado
• → Norwegian Bokmål: data
• Occitan: dat
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Romagnol: dêd
• Portuguese: dado
• Spanish: dato, dado
• Modern Greek:
  • Ancient Greek: δεδομένο (dedoméno), δώρο (dṓro)

Verb

datum

1. accusative supine of dō

Participle

datum

1. inflection of datus:
   1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular
   2. accusative masculine singular

References

• "datum", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “datum”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎^[1]
• “datum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “datum”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Latvian

Noun

datum

1. vocative singular of datums

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin datum. Doublet of dato.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɑː.tʉm/

Noun

datum n (definite singular datumet, indefinite plural datum, definite plural datuma)

1. (dated) a date (specific day in time)
2. a fact

Related terms

• datere

References

• “datum” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin datum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dǎːtum/
• Hyphenation: da‧tum

Noun

dátum m inan (Cyrillic spelling да́тум)

1. date (as in day, month, and year)

Declension

Declension of datum

	singular	plural
nominative	datum	datumi
genitive	datuma	datuma
dative	datumu	datumima
accusative	datum	datume
vocative	datume	datumi
locative	datumu	datumima
instrumental	datumom	datumima

References

• “datum”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dàːtum/, /dáːtum/

Noun

dātum m inan

1. date (point of time)

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	dátum
gen. sing.	dátuma
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	dátum	dátuma	dátumi
genitive (rodȋlnik)	dátuma	dátumov	dátumov
dative (dajȃlnik)	dátumu	dátumoma	dátumom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	dátum	dátuma	dátume
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	dátumu	dátumih	dátumih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	dátumom	dátumoma	dátumi

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin datum (“given”, past participle).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

datum n

1. date; (day, month and year)

Usage notes

• The now very uncommon (or obsolete) declension datot-data was used in 1958.

Declension

Declension of datum

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	datum	datums
	definite	datumet	datumets
plural	indefinite	datum	datums
	definite	datumen	datumens

Declension of datum

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	datum	datums
	definite	datot	datots
plural	indefinite	data	datas
	definite	data	datas

See also

• datumlinjen
• datera
• bäst-före-datum

Anagrams

• mutad