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date 1 (dāt)
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n.
1.
a. The time stated in terms of the day, month, and year: What is the date of your birth?
b. A statement of calendar time, as on a document.
2.
a. A particular point or period of time at which something happened or existed, or is expected to happen: the date of their wedding.
b. dates The years of someone's birth and death: Beethoven's dates were 1770 to 1827.
3. The time during which something lasts; duration: "Summer's lease hath all too short a date" (Shakespeare).
4. The time or historical period to which something belongs: artifacts of a later date.
5. An appointment: a luncheon date with a client. See Synonyms at engagement.
6.
a. An engagement to go out socially with another person, often out of romantic interest.
b. One's companion on such an outing.
7. An engagement for a performance: has four singing dates this month.
v. dat·ed, dat·ing, dates
v.tr.
1. To mark or supply with a date: date a letter.
2. To determine the date of: date a fossil.
3. To betray the age of: Pictures of old cars date the book.
4. To go on a date or dates with.
v.intr.
1. To have origin in a particular time in the past: This statue dates from 500 BC.
2. To become old-fashioned.
3. To go on dates.
Idioms:
out of date
No longer in style; old-fashioned: clothes that went out of date last year.
to date
Until now: To date, only half of those invited have responded.
up to date
In or into accordance with current information, styles, or technology: brought me up to date on the project's status.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin data, from Latin data (Romae), issued (at Rome) (on a certain day), feminine past participle of dare, to give; see dō- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

data·ble, datea·ble adj.
dater n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.