antedate

[ verb an-ti-deyt, an-ti-deyt; noun an-ti-deyt ]

verb (used with object)

, an·te·dat·ed, an·te·dat·ing.

1. to be of older date than; precede in time:

   The Peruvian empire antedates the Mexican empire.

2. predate ( def 1 ).
3. to assign to an earlier date:

   to antedate a historical event.

4. to cause to return to an earlier time:

   to antedate one's thoughts by remembering past events.

5. to cause to happen sooner; accelerate:

   The cold weather antedated their departure from the country.

6. Archaic. to take or have in advance; anticipate.

noun

1. a prior date.

antedate

verb

1. to be or occur at an earlier date than
2. to affix a date to (a document, etc) that is earlier than the actual date
3. to assign a date to (an event, etc) that is earlier than its previously assigned date
4. to cause to occur sooner

noun

1. an earlier date

Word History and Origins

Origin of antedate¹

1570–80; earlier antidate < Middle French antidater, derivative of antidate a date earlier than the true date (by association with anté- ante- ), originally a date put in place of another date; ante-, date ¹

Example Sentences

The thought that a 17-game regular season was too long will someday seem as quaint and antedated as the Christmas Eve playoff matchups of the mid-1970s.

From New York Times

This selection, which includes several cartoons that antedate the age of Trump, showcases several modes.

From Washington Post

The system is evidently an ancient one, long antedating the immunologic sensing of familiar or foreign forms of life by the antibodies on which we now depend so heavily for our separateness.

From Literature

Yet war antedates the state, diplomacy and strategy by many millennia.

From Literature

Hardly a day goes by on ADS-L, the email discussion list of the American Dialect Society, without someone reporting an antedating of some word or another.

From Time