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

India's 16th census - the eighth since independence in 1947 - will also include caste data and is seen as crucial for policy, welfare delivery and political representation in the world's most populous country.

From BBC

But ahead of Tuesday’s results, UBS analysts said that data showed some of Nike’s newer offerings weren’t catching on with customers.

From MarketWatch

Stargate is a $500bn project to build up data center capacity in the US, which backers say is needed for planned increases in AI processing and power requirements over the next several years.

From BBC

The choices consist of stocks where the analysts believe they have “a differentiated view” based on proprietary data.

From MarketWatch

The company recently introduced a plan to make solar arrays that could power space-based data centers.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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