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dato

[ dah-toh; Spanish dah-taw ]
/ ˈdɑ toʊ; Spanish ˈdɑ tɔ /

noun, plural da·tos [dah-tohz; Spanish dah-taws], /ˈdɑ toʊz; Spanish ˈdɑ tɔs/,

(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

Words nearby dato

dating agency, dating bar, dating nail, dative, dative bond, dato, datolite, Datong, datu, Datuk, datum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for dato

British Dictionary definitions for dato

dato
/ (ˈdɑːtəʊ) /

noun plural -tos

the chief of any of certain Muslim tribes in the Philippine Islands

Word Origin for dato

C19: from Spanish, ultimately from Malay dato' grandfather
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012