dato
[dah-toh; Spanish dah-taw]
- (in the Philippines) a native chief.
- the headman of a barrio or of a Malay tribe.
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Also datu.
Origin of dato
1835–45; < Spanish or Portuguese < Malay datuk war chief
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dato
Historical Examples
Piang, no dato can boast of a grander court than Ganassi, eh?
The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle BoyFlorence Partello Stuart
Presently I suggested that we had come to call on Dato Tumay.
The Philippines Past and Present (Volume 2 of 2)Dean Conant Worcester
This is the kind of dato that they now prefer, not him who has the spirit to command.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, V7, 1588-1591Emma Helen Blair
Inok, dato of Labau, is also of this line, tracing his descent from Lakbang.
The Wild Tribes of Davao District, MindanaoFay-Cooper Cole
To our great amazement Dato Pula kept his word and sent his brother on board!
The Philippines Past and Present (Volume 2 of 2)Dean Conant Worcester
dato
- the chief of any of certain Muslim tribes in the Philippine Islands
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Word Origin
C19: from Spanish, ultimately from Malay dato' grandfather
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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