Etymology and origin of the Latin word datus
datus1 given
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
- Ultimate origin
- Latin dō
From the same root · datus1
Forms
datus (feminine data, neuter datum); first/second-declension participle[1]
Etymology
The participle is from Latin dō (“to give”), its perfect passive participle,[2][1][3] continuing Proto-Italic *datos and Proto-Indo-European *dh₃-tó-.[4] Its neuter is Faliscan datu in a Faliscan inscription, and the genitive Oscan δατας (datas) is found in Oscan.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
De Vaan gives the participle ⟨datum⟩ for Old Latin;[4] its earliest author is Plautus.[5]
Semantic evolution
It meant given, offered, granted.[1][2] From the closing formula of letters and charters, data or datum with a place and day, “given at …”, Medieval Latin made data a noun for the date of a letter or charter,[6][7] the source of Old French and English date.[7] Its neuter became the noun datum, “a gift”.[1]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[5]
- early 14th century – English date is recorded, from Medieval Latin data.[7]
Meanings
Participle
- Given, offered, granted.[2][1][3]
- (Medieval Latin, feminine as noun) data, the date of a letter or charter.[6]
Word family
datus2 act of giving
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
- Ultimate origin
- Latin dō
From the same root · datus2
Forms
datus m (genitive datūs); fourth declension[1]
Etymology
The noun is from Latin dō (“to give”) + -tus, a fourth-declension noun of action.[8][9][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is found only once in Classical Latin, in Plautus' Trinummus (1140), in the ablative meo datu, “as my gift, from me”.[4][9][10]
Semantic evolution
In Late Latin it meant a gift: the Old Latin Bible and the Vulgate of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) use it, as in datus insipientis non est utilis tibi (“the gift of a fool will not profit you”, Sirach 20:14).[11][9][10] A glossary renders it with Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis).[9] An English charter of 955 uses it for a free gift of land.[12]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the ablative.[9][5]
- 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for a gift.[11][5]
- 955 – An English charter speaks of land given gratuito datu.[12]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Descendants
- Italian dato
Cite this entry
“Datus.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/datus. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.
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