This is the 1289th most frequent French word.
datant
"Dating" or "stemming from a certain time."
In this sentence, 'datant' is used as a present participle to indicate the time period in which the bridge originated.
Le pont, datant du XIXe siècle, est un véritable monument historique.
The bridge, dating from the 19th century, is a true historical monument.
Here, 'datant' specifies the context of the letter's origin, pinpointing it to the time of the war.
Ils ont trouvé une lettre datant de la guerre.
They found a letter dating from the war.
'Datant' is applied here to express that the manuscripts originate from several different historical periods.