The use of datum to mean a reference from which things are measured is more widespread, e.g.
And of course, the plural of this kind of datum is surely datums, e.g. from the Wiki article
P.S. (Missed edit window): The above Center-of-Gravity example is for illustrative purposes only! Don’t rely on this if you plan to fly your own G-103! I just noticed a gruesome 1-digit typo in the numbers. The front seat is actually at -44.57", not -14.57 !
AHA! Ignorance fought! I didn’t know that.
(Please note that I supported my contention that the plural of datum is datums with data.)
Is “data” the same as a reference cite comprising a sentence from an article? Let’s see what dictionary.com says.
This is interesting, I should have looked this up before posting this thread. So the word “data” has a somewhat different meaning depending on whether you use a plural verb or a singular verb. Rather like my earlier reference to things that can be counted (individual facts or statistics) and things that can be measured (a body of facts or information). “Data” is perhaps unusual in that it can represent both kinds of things.
And it appears, Riemann, that your use of the word is accurate per #3 if we substitute either “body of facts” or “information.”
So, we know:
(1) The plural of “datum” is datums.
(2) The plural of “anecdote” is not data.
Surely data must be the plural of something?