dato

[ dah-toh; Spanish dah-taw ]

/ ˈdɑ toʊ; Spanish ˈdɑ tɔ /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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. 2022

How to use dato in a sentence

Among themselves they call their important men dato, a Moro title, and their Moro dress has already been mentioned.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
Et dato, qud nullus omnino tortor inveniri valeat in Angli, utrum pro tortoribus mittendum sit ad partes transmarinas?
View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Henry Hallam
Ubi spectaculi tempus venit eoque conversae mentes cum oculis erant, tum signo dato iuvenes Romani discurrunt, virgines rapiunt.
Selections from Viri Romae|Charles Franois L'Homond
Inde Romam de permutandis captivis missus est dato iureiurando.
Selections from Viri Romae|Charles Franois L'Homond

Deum timeto: regem honorato: virtutem colito disciplinis bonis operam dato.
Notes and Queries, Number 182, April 23, 1853|Various

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