dato Italian · revision 38513

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited, borrowing|attested=early 13th century, Iacopo Mostacci|origins=ine-pro *deh₃-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈda.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''dato''' ''m'' (plural dati)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective is the past participle of [[dare]]; it is [[inh|la|datus|t=given]], the participle of [[m|la|dō|t=to give]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|1214) The noun, “a datum”, is a learned word from the Latin participle used as a noun, [[la|datum|t=what has been given]].^(GDLI)^(Wiktionary)^(DEI|1214) Latin “dō” goes back through [[itc-pro|*didō]] to [[ine-pro|*deh₃-|t=to give]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in the early 13th century, in the poet Iacopo Mostacci, in the sense “given over (to), devoted”.^(DELI 1999) Bono Giamboni (before 1292) uses it for what has been handed to someone, and Giovanni Villani (before 1348) in the sense “fixed, determined”.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Old Italian also had the noun ''dato'' “gift”, as in the proverb ''Ogni dato vuole il mandato'', “every gift calls for a return”.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(DEI|1214)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The noun in its modern sense began in mathematics: in 1573 Egnatio Danti explains that every theorem and problem contains ''il dato'' (what is supposed) and ''il quesito'' (what is sought), and Galileo and Guido Grandi use it the same way.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) In the 19th century Tommaseo complained that writers steeped in French overused it after ''donnée''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Today the plural ''dati'' is the everyday word for facts and figures, statistics and, in computing, data: ''banca dati'' “database”, ''elaborazione dei dati'' “data processing”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GDLI)

+

+ The participle also gave conjunctions: ''dato che'' “given that, since” (14th century) and ''dato e non concesso che'' “granted, but not conceded, that”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(DEI|1214)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 13th century – Iacopo Mostacci uses ''dato'' in the sense “devoted”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it for what has been handed over.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – ''Dato che'' is recorded.^(DEI|1214)

+ * Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it in the sense “determined”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1573 – Egnatio Danti uses the noun for the given data of a problem.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Certain, particular, [[m|en|given]]: ''A un dato punto tutti si sono alzati e sono usciti.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Given, considered (in absolute constructions): ''Data l'ora, conviene prendere un taxi.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(uncommon)'' [[m|en|devoted]] or given (to): ''un ragazzo dato allo studio''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|datum]], a known or verified fact used as the basis for reasoning or research, ''(plural)'' [[m|en|data]]: ''Prima di decidere dobbiamo raccogliere più dati.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' A given value of a problem.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GDLI)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(computing)'' An item of information coded so that a computer can process it: ''dati personali'', ''dati sensibili''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(linguistics)'' The part of an utterance that carries information already known.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' A gift.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[dato di fatto]]

+ * [[banca dati]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dare]]

+ * [[data]]

+ * [[dado]]

+ * [[la|datum]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Dato di fatto'' is a certain, undeniable fact.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) Old Italian and northern dialects also had ''dato'' “die” (14th century), which the LEI files under the Latin ''datum'' of the dice game, and the 15th-century administrative ''dato'' “duty, tax” came from Medieval Latin ''datum'' “tribute”.^(LEI|19, 327)^(DEI|1214)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}