DAT
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Dental Admission Test |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Education & Academia, Medical, Technology & Computing, Business & Finance, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | dat. |
DAT has six meanings. The most common are Dental Admission Test (standardized test) and Diet as tolerated (nursing); it can also stand for Direct antiglobulin test, Data file, Delivered at Terminal and Dative.
Meanings of DAT at a glance
| # | DAT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dental Admission Test | Education & Academia › Standardized Test |
| 2 | Diet as tolerated | Medical › Nursing |
| 3 | Direct antiglobulin test | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 4 | Data file | Technology & Computing › File Format |
| 5 | Delivered at Terminal | Business & Finance › Logistics, Supply Chain & Trade |
| 6 | Dative | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Dental Admission Test
Education & Academia · Standardized Test Abbreviations
Computer-based exam required for dental school admission in the US, administered by the American Dental Association. It covers biology, general and organic chemistry, perceptual ability, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning, with scores from 1 to 30.
Example: An Academic Average of 21 on the DAT is competitive at most dental schools.
The Perceptual Ability Test, with spatial tasks such as angle ranking and paper folding, is unique to the DAT and reflects the manual skills dentistry requires. The Academic Average combines every section except perceptual ability. Canada uses its own Canadian DAT administered by the Canadian Dental Association.
2. Diet as tolerated
Medical · Nursing Abbreviations
Diet order allowing the patient to eat whatever they can comfortably manage, often after a procedure, without a specific progression. It leaves the choice of food texture and amount to the patient and nurse.
Example: Post-op: DAT once fully awake, IV fluids to KVO when tolerating.
Different from ADAT, which instructs staff to move step by step through clear liquids, full liquids and solid food. Some hospitals do not accept DAT and require a defined diet type. Swallowing concerns or aspiration risk override it and call for a formal swallow screen.
3. Direct antiglobulin test
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Detects antibodies or complement already attached to a patient's red blood cells by adding antihuman globulin reagent and looking for agglutination. A positive DAT supports autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a hemolytic transfusion reaction, drug-induced hemolysis or hemolytic disease of the newborn.
Example: DAT positive for IgG; findings support warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Commonly called the direct Coombs test after Robin Coombs, who described the antiglobulin technique with Mourant and Race in 1945. The indirect antiglobulin test (indirect Coombs) instead looks for free antibodies in plasma and underlies the antibody screen. A positive DAT also occurs in some healthy people and after IVIG, so it must be interpreted alongside signs of hemolysis.
4. Data file
Technology & Computing · File Format Abbreviations
Generic extension for data files whose format depends entirely on the program that created them, from game saves and configuration data to video on Video CDs. A DAT file cannot be opened without knowing its source.
Example: The email had a mysterious winmail.dat attachment instead of the PDF the sender meant to share.
The best-known example is winmail.dat, created when Outlook sends rich-text email in Microsoft's TNEF format to recipients whose email programs cannot read it; tools exist to extract the original attachments. Video CDs store MPEG-1 video in .dat files. Because the content varies, renaming a DAT file rarely helps unless its real type is known.
5. Delivered at Terminal
Business & Finance · Logistics, Supply Chain & Trade Abbreviations
Former Incoterms rule, used in the 2010 edition, in which the seller delivered goods unloaded at a named terminal at destination. Incoterms 2020 replaced it with DPU.
Example: Our old supply contracts still say DAT, so legal is updating them to DPU.
Contracts may still use Incoterms 2010 if they say so explicitly, since older versions remain valid by agreement.
6. Dative (dat.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels the dative case, used for the indirect object, the person to or for whom something is done, in languages such as Latin, German, Greek and Icelandic.
Example: German dem Kind (dat.), as in "Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch," "I give the child a book"
English lost its separate dative endings by the Middle English period and now marks indirect objects with word order or "to." Some German prepositions, such as mit and von, always take the dative. The name comes from Latin dare, "to give," the classic dative verb. Linguistic glosses write DAT.
Related abbreviations
More standardized test abbreviations
- CPE – Certificate of Proficiency in English
- CSET – California Subject Examinations for Teachers
- CUET – Common University Entrance Test
- DALF – Diplôme approfondi de langue française (Advanced Diploma in French…
- DBQ – Document-based question
- DELE – Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Diplomas of Spanish as a…
- DELF – Diplôme d'études en langue française (Diploma in French Language…
- DET – Duolingo English Test
See all 106 standardized test abbreviations →
More nursing abbreviations
- CBR – Complete bed rest
- CLD – Clear liquid diet
- CVAD – Central venous access device
- CVC – Central venous catheter
- DSD – Dry sterile dressing
- DTI – Deep tissue injury
- EBP – Evidence-based practice
- eMAR – Electronic medication administration record
See all 90 nursing abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.