Etymology Map
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Data

2 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means facts and statistics collected for analysis

Where does the word "data" come from? It comes from Latin datum, adopted directly into English (1640s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
datum
Latin · ancient
"a thing given"
past participle of 'dare', to give
2
Stage 2 of 2
data
English · 1640s
"facts and statistics"
the plural became a mass noun after computers arrived in the 1940s
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Data’s story begins in Latin: datum meant “a thing given.” Past participle of 'dare', to give. It reached English by 1640s as data. The plural became a mass noun after computers arrived in the 1940s. Today, data means facts and statistics collected for analysis.