*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of data

Borrowed from Latin data, nominative plural of datum (“that is given”), neuter past participle of dō (“to give”); by surface analysis, dat(um) + -a. Doublet of date.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

plural of datum

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin data, nominative plural of datum (“that is given”), neuter past participle of dō (“to give”); by surface analysis, dat(um) + -a. Doublet of date.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentiondatala
  • Doublet mentiondateen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:datum<ety:from<la:data>>"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"give\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"redup.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Reduplication of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"give\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*deh₃-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"reduplication\" }, { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verb\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dédeh₃ti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*didō\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"dō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"datus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"datum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"data\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"data\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "data"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin data"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "datum<alt:dat(um)>",
        "3": "-a<id:Latin plural>",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "by surface analysis, dat(um) + -a"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "date"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of date"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:datum<ety:from<la:data>>"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "data",
      "data#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "datum",
      "datum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "dō",
      "do#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "dat(um)",
      "datum#English"
    ],
    [
      "-a",
      "-a#English:_Latin_plural"
    ],
    [
      "date",
      "date#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of datum"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "plural"
      ],
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    }
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A representation of information in a computer (as symbols, quantities, sound, images or videos) which is stored, processed or transmitted in the form of electrical signals, records on magnetic tape or punched cards, etc. · Material recorded and known or assumed as facts and used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation, represented especially in the form of numbers, and usually structured (such as statistics). · Ellipsis of mobile data (“digital information transmitted using the cellular telephone network rather than Wi-Fi”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin data, nominative plural of datum (“that is given”), neuter past participle of dō (“to give”); by surface analysis, dat(um) + -a. Doublet of date.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentiondatala
  • Doublet mentiondateen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:datum<ety:from<la:data>>"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"give\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"redup.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Reduplication of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"give\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*deh₃-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"reduplication\" }, { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verb\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dédeh₃ti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*didō\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"dō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"datus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"datum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"data\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"data\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "data"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin data"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "datum<alt:dat(um)>",
        "3": "-a<id:Latin plural>",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "by surface analysis, dat(um) + -a"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "date"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of date"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:datum<ety:from<la:data>>"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "data",
      "data#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "datum",
      "datum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "dō",
      "do#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "dat(um)",
      "datum#English"
    ],
    [
      "-a",
      "-a#English:_Latin_plural"
    ],
    [
      "date",
      "date#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "ডাটা",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ḍaṭa"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "ডেটা",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ḍeṭa"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "word": "data",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A representation of information in a computer (as symbols, quantities, sound, images or videos) which is stored, processed or transmitted in the form of electrical signals, records on magnetic tape or punched cards, etc.",
        "Material recorded and known or assumed as facts and used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation, represented especially in the form of numbers, and usually structured (such as statistics).",
        "Ellipsis of mobile data (“digital information transmitted using the cellular telephone network rather than Wi-Fi”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "collective",
        "uncountable",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "85de74fd7b05c12fcbec13c6894de25fdde759cdbbb6542b06b21e0d12e55340",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c89d7691f2dd819e73cec910a0e4e792c1d293fddfddc1383325e667adc9dd5b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 193296
    }
  ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for data →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGF0YQ