datu

[ dah-too ]

noun,plural da·tu, da·tus.
  1. (in the Philippines) a Native chief.

Origin of datu

1
First recorded in 1925–30; from Tagalog datu, dato “landowner, head of a clan or tribe”; akin to dato

Words Nearby datu

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use datu in a sentence

  • Grogu, I said, make a peace with the great datu of the rovers of the sea, give him a part of each harvest.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • The datu of Padang, the old man who lost the forty buffaloes, is a venomous old rascal that we'll have to watch.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • Inchi tells me there is a persistent rumor in the town that the great datu, the chief of all the pirates, is in Bulungan.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • The datu is small in person, and emaciated in form, but has a quick eye and an intelligent countenance.

  • His house is constructed in the same manner as that of the datu, but is of larger dimensions, and the piles are rather higher.