date

¹

[ deyt ]

noun

1. a particular month, day, and year at which some event happened or will happen:

   July 4, 1776 was the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

2. the day of the month:

   Is today's date the 7th or the 8th?

3. an inscription on a writing, coin, etc., that shows the time, or time and place, of writing, casting, delivery, etc.:

   a letter bearing the date January 16.

4. the time or period to which any event or thing belongs; period in general:

   Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

5. the time during which anything lasts; duration:

   The pity is that childhood has so short a date.

6. an appointment for a particular time:

   They have a date with their accountant at ten o'clock.

7. a social appointment or engagement arranged beforehand with another person, especially when a romantic relationship exists or may develop:

   to go out on a Saturday night date.

8. a person with whom one has such a social appointment or engagement:

   Can I bring a date to the party?

9. an engagement for an entertainer to perform.
10. dates, the birth and death dates, usually in years, of a person:

    Dante's dates are 1265 to 1321.

verb (used without object)

, dat·ed, dat·ing.

1. to have or bear a date:

   The letter dates from 1873.

2. to belong to a particular period; have its origin:

   That dress dates from the 19th century. The architecture dates as far back as 1830.

3. to reckon from some point in time:

   The custom dates from the days when women wore longer skirts.

4. to go out socially on dates:

   She dated a lot during high school.

verb (used with object)

, dat·ed, dat·ing.

1. to mark or furnish with a date:

   Please date the check as of today.

2. to ascertain or fix the period or point in time of; assign a period or point in time to:

   The archaeologist dated the ruins as belonging to the early Minoan period.

3. to show the age of; show to be old-fashioned.
4. to make a date with; go out on dates with:

   He's been dating his best friend's sister.

date

²

[ deyt ]

noun

1. the oblong, fleshy fruit of the date palm, a staple food in northern Africa, Arabia, etc., and an important export.

date

¹

/ deɪt /

noun

1. a specified day of the month

   today's date is October 27

2. the particular day or year of an event

   the date of the Norman Conquest was 1066

3. plural the years of a person's birth and death or of the beginning and end of an event or period
4. an inscription on a coin, letter, etc, stating when it was made or written
5. 1. an appointment for a particular time, esp with a person to whom one is sexually or romantically attached

      she has a dinner date

   2. the person with whom the appointment is made
6. the present moment; now (esp in the phrases to date, up to date )

verb

1. tr to mark (a letter, coin, etc) with the day, month, or year
2. tr to assign a date of occurrence or creation to
3. intr; foll by from or back to to have originated (at a specified time)

   his decline dates from last summer

4. tr to reveal the age of

   that dress dates her

5. to make or become old-fashioned

   some good films hardly date at all

6. informal.
   1. to be a boyfriend or girlfriend of (someone of the opposite sex)
   2. to accompany (a member of the opposite sex) on a date

date

²

/ deɪt /

noun

1. the fruit of the date palm, having sweet edible flesh and a single large woody seed
2. short for date palm

Usage

See year

Derived Forms

• ˈdateless, adjective
• ˈdatable, adjective

Other Words From

• dat·a·ble date·a·ble adjective
• dat·a·ble·ness date·a·ble·ness noun
• dat·er noun
• un·dat·a·ble adjective
• un·date·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of date¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun from Middle French, from Late Latin data, noun use of data (feminine of datus, past participle of dare “to give”), from the phrase data (Romae) “written, given (at Rome)”; Middle English verb daten “to sign or date a document,” derivative of the noun

Origin of date²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French dade, date, from Medieval Latin datil(l)us, from Latin dactylus, from Greek dáktylos, from a Semitic language (and unrelated to Greek dáktylos “finger; dactyl )

Word History and Origins

Origin of date¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin dare to give, as in the phrase epistula data Romae letter handed over at Rome

Origin of date²

C13: from Old French, from Latin, from Greek daktulos finger

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to date, up to the present time; until now:

   This is his best book to date.

2. up to date. up-to-date.

More idioms and phrases containing date

In addition to the idiom beginning with date also see bring up to date ; double date ; make a date ; out of date ; to date ; up to date .

Example Sentences

But many of the “modern” words added in the 1980s or 90s are already out of date.

From BBC

However the letter stated that Waring's release date has been brought forward almost a year, from September 2027 to the week commencing 11 October 2026.

From BBC

Northern Ireland sit top of Nations League C Group 3 with seven points after two wins, one draw and one defeat from their four fixtures in the competition to date.

From BBC

If you are booking a coach package, the next step will be to choose the time, date and place you will depart from.

From BBC

Everyone else is urged to check their details in advance, to make sure everything is up to date.

From BBC

Related Words

• age
• day
• hour
• moment
• period
• stage
• term
• time
• year