datum

See also: dátum and Datum

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin datum (“a given”). Doublet of die.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdeɪtʌm/, /ˈdɑːtʌm/

Noun

datum (plural data or datums)

1. (plural: data) A measurement of something on a scale understood by both the recorder (a person or device) and the reader (another person or device). The scale is arbitrarily defined, such as from 1 to 10 by ones, 1 to 100 by 0.1, or simply true or false, on or off, yes, no, or maybe, etc.
2. (plural: data) (philosophy) A fact known from direct observation.
3. (plural: data) (philosophy) A premise from which conclusions are drawn.
4. (plural: datums) (cartography, engineering) A fixed reference point, or a coordinate system.
   • 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.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• datum circle
• datum line
• datum plane

• datum point
• datum surface

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

Translations

single piece of information

• Bulgarian: данна f (danna), изходна величина (izhodna veličina)
• Catalan: dada (ca) f
• Czech: údaj (cs) m
• French: donnée (fr)
• German: Fakt (de) m
• Greek: δεδομένο (el) n (dedoméno)
• 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: dátum
• Spanish: dato (es) m
• Volapük: nünod

References

• AskOxford.com: Is 'data' singular or plural?
• “datum” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. (The American Heritage Dictionary's usage note on 'data')
• John Quiggin: Data is not the plural of datum
• johnaugust.com: ‘Data’ is singular

---

Czech

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

datum n

1. date (point in time)

Declension

Declension

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

Related terms

• datovat

Further reading

• datum in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• datum in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

---

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)

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

Noun

datum n (plural data, diminutive datumpje n)

1. datum (piece of information)

   Synonyms: gegeven

---

Latin

Etymology

Neuter past participle of dō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈda.tum/, [ˈda.tũ]

Noun

datum n (genitive datī); second declension

1. gift, present
   • c. 254 BCE – 184 BCE, Plautus, Asinaria 56

     Quia non suppetunt dictis data.

     Because his gifts do not match his words.

Inflection

Second declension.

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	datum	data
genitive	datī	datōrum
dative	datō	datīs
accusative	datum	data
ablative	datō	datīs
vocative	datum	data

Synonyms

• dōnum

Related terms

• datus

Descendants

• Catalan: dau
• English: datum
• French: dé
• Italian: dato, dado

• Occitan: dat
• Portuguese: dado
• Spanish: dato, dado

Verb

datum

1. supine of dō

Participle

datum

1. nominative neuter singular of datus
2. accusative masculine singular of datus
3. accusative neuter singular of datus
4. vocative neuter singular of datus

References

• datum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 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

---

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin datum.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

dátum m (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

---

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdàːtum/, /ˈdáːtum/
• Tonal orthography: dátum, dȃtum

Noun

dátum m inan (genitive dátuma, nominative plural dátumi)

1. date (point of time)

Declension

Declension of dátum (masculine inan., hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	dátum	dátuma	dátumi
accusative	dátum	dátuma	dátume
genitive	dátuma	dátumov	dátumov
dative	dátumu	dátumoma	dátumom
locative	dátumu	dátumih	dátumih
instrumental	dátumom	dátumoma	dátumi

---

Swedish

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
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	datum	datumet	datum	datumen
Genitive	datums	datumets	datums	datumens

Declension of datum

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

See also

• datumlinjen
• datera
• bäst-före-datum