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date¹

(dāt)

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.

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.

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out of date

No longer in style; old-fashioned: clothes that went out of date last year.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.]

data·ble, datea·ble adj.

dater n.

date²

(dāt)

1. The sweet, edible, oblong or oval fruit of the date palm, containing a narrow, hard seed.

2. A date palm.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Old Provençal datil, from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktulos, finger, date (from its shape).]

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.

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