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.

Nearby words

dating nail, datival, dative, dative bond, datively, dato, datolite, datong, datu, datuk, datum

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for dato

He salaamed before the dato and, without a glance at the others, bounded up the trail, away into the jungle.
The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy|Florence Partello Stuart
Dato Kali Pandapatan scorned to report Sicto to the authorities.
The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy|Florence Partello Stuart
They punish crime according to certain traditional laws, the dato being judge.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898|Various
Dato Ynoch raised his hand for silence and turned toward the waiting populace.
The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy|Florence Partello Stuart

The classes of people mentioned in that early age by our brother Plassencia (besides that of chief or dato) are three, as follows.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 - Volume 40 of 55|Francisco Colin

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