datum

American  

[dey-tuhm, dat-uhm, dah-tuhm] / ˈdeɪ təm, ˈdæt əm, ˈdɑ təm /

noun

plural

data, datums

1. a single piece of information, as a fact, statistic, or code; an item of data.

2. Philosophy.

   1. any fact assumed to be a matter of direct observation.

   2. any proposition assumed or given, from which conclusions may be drawn.

3. Also called sense datum.  Epistemology. the object of knowledge as presented to the mind.

4. Surveying, Civil Engineering. any level surface, line, or point used as a reference in measuring elevations.

5. Surveying. a basis for horizontal control surveys, consisting of the longitude and latitude of a certain point, the azimuth of a certain line from this point, and two constants used in defining the terrestrial spheroid.

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datum British  

/ ˈdeɪtəm, ˈdɑːtəm /

noun

1. a single piece of information; fact

2. a proposition taken for granted, often in order to construct some theoretical framework upon it; a given See also sense datum

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Usage

See data.

Etymology

Origin of datum

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin: “a thing given,” neuter past participle of dare “to give”

Example Sentences

Morning Consult data found that consumers had some breathing room to withstand the tariff uncertainty.

From MarketWatch

Despite the lackluster growth in recent economic activity, the labor market has remained quite tight, Capital Economics chief Europe economist Andrew Kenningham said in a note to clients after the jobless data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rare-earth magnet exports to Japan had also returned to normal levels even before the October deal between the U.S. and China, according to Chinese trade data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thursday’s data release comes amid a challenging moment for UC as admission practices and college reliance on higher tuition from international students face criticism nationally.

From Los Angeles Times

Anecdotal data suggest there is also an exodus of regular people who load their belongings into rental trucks and lug them to another state.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accomplishment
• action
• case
• circumstance
• data
• evidence
• experience
• factor
• incident
• information
• performance
• phenomenon
• statistic