date

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: the brown, oblong edible fruit of a palm (Phoenix dactylifera)
cookies with raisins and chopped dates
2
: the tall palm with pinnate leaves that yields the date

date

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
a
: the time at which an event occurs
the date of his birth
on this date in history
see also date of birth
b
: a statement of the time of execution (see execution sense 1) or making
the date on the letter
2
: duration
the short date of all things sweetRebecca P. Parkin
3
: the period of time to which something belongs
a style from a later date
4
a
: an appointment to meet at a specified time
set up a date with her lawyer
especially : a social engagement (see engagement sense 1a) between two persons that often has a romantic character
asked her out on a date
see also blind date sense 1
b
: a person with whom one has a usually romantic date
bringing a date to the dance
see also blind date sense 2
5
: an engagement for a professional performance (as of a dance band)
concert dates

date

3 of 3

verb

dated; dating

transitive verb

1
: to determine the period of time to which something belongs : to determine the date (see date entry 2 sense 3) of
date an antique
dated the fossils to the Triassic period
2
: to record the time of the execution or making of : mark with the date
forgot to date the check
a letter dated the fifth of September
3
a
: to mark with characteristics typical of a particular period
b
: to show up plainly the age of
old-fashioned decor that really dates the house
4
: to make a usually romantic social arrangement to meet with : to have a date with
someone she dated in high school

intransitive verb

1
: to estimate or compute a date (see date entry 2 sense 3) or chronology : to reckon chronologically
scientific dating techniques
2
: originate
a friendship dating from college days
jewelry dating back to the 1700s
3
: to become outmoded or dated
4
: to go out on usually romantic dates
wasn't allowed to date until she was sixteen
datable adjective
or less commonly dateable
dater noun
Phrases
to date
: up to the present moment
her best album to date

Did you know?

The word date that means “the fruit of the palm” and the word date that means “the time of an event” look alike, but they are not related. The word for the fruit can be traced back to the Greek word daktylos, meaning “finger” and “toe.” No one knows why the fruit was called by the word for finger—perhaps because of its small size and shape or the long, slender shape of the palm’s leaves. The word for “the time of an event” comes from Latin and derives from the Latin phrase data Romae, meaning “given at Rome,” an expression used before the date on letters and documents. The word data comes from the Latin word dare, “to give.” In later Latin, the word data came to be used alone to stand for the date, and it came into English as date.

Examples of date in a Sentence

Verb She dated a couple guys during college. He only dates younger women. They've been dating for six months. Don't forget to sign and date the application. The letter was not dated. a memo dated July 12th, 2003 Historians date the document to the early 1700s. The ancient building was dated by a coin found in one of the rooms. Scientists use various techniques to date fossils.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The date and circumstances of his death have not been disclosed. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 On Friday, rain seemed to hold off long enough, and temperatures seemed pleasant enough, for the city, at least during daylight, to have little reason to beware the Ides of March, although that was the date. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Shop Allure Stay up to date on must-buy makeup, hair care, skin care, and more, plus reviews for award-winning products straight from Allure's editors. Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 16 Mar. 2024 Dion was forced to postpone all of her 2023 tour dates, before ultimately canceling the rest of her tour entirely. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 16 Mar. 2024 And a judge in Atlanta this week quashed six of the charges against Mr. Trump in his Georgia election interference case, which also lacks a trial date. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Their tour, which just added a dozen more amphitheater and arena dates, starts in April and now runs through November. Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024 To date, 748 investors and startup leaders from more than 42 countries have signed the original pledge. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Universal has set a June 13, 2025, release date for the feature. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Harrison will host a morning show alongside his wife Lauren Zima as well as a new dating series, according to a press release from the network. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Soon, another dating app, has channeled a similar energy into its design. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Former Bachelor host Chris Harrison has set his return to television with a new reality dating series and morning show. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Season 6 of the reality dating show premiered on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, with new episodes releasing weekly on Wednesday. USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 In a news release posted Monday, the Justice Department said David Franklin Slater of Nebraska, who was arrested on Saturday, allegedly shared the classified information on a foreign online dating platform. Diba Mohtasham, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Madonna addressed her dating history with younger men in a 2017 interview with Harper’s Bazaar. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Whereas the first 89 included grand, gabled homes built before 1919, with sweeping porches and staircases, the nearly 100 more added to the list are in 12 multi-unit infantry barracks along Pope Avenue and Doniphan Drive dating to the early 1900s. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The reality dating show returned to Netflix on Feb. 14, 2024, and introduced fans to 30 singles ready to find love. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'date.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French (also continental Old French), borrowed (with -il perhaps taken as a suffix) from Old Occitan datil, going back to Latin dactylus "dactyl in verse, kind of date" — more at dactyl

Noun (2) and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin data, from data (as in data Romae given at Rome), feminine of Latin datus, past participle of dare to give; akin to Latin dos gift, dowry, Greek didonai to give

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of date was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near date

Cite this Entry

“Date.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/date. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

date

1 of 3 noun
1
: the oblong edible fruit of a tall Old World palm
2
: the palm that produces dates

called also date palm

date

2 of 3 noun
1
a
: the time at which an event occurs
b
: a statement giving the time of doing or making (as of a coin or check)
2
3
: the period of time to which something belongs
4
a
: appointment sense 3
especially : a social engagement between two persons that often has a romantic character
b
: a person with whom one has a social engagement

date

3 of 3 verb
dated; dating
1
: to record the date of or on
date a letter
2
: to show or find out the date, age, or period of
date an antique
3
: to make or have a date with
4
a
: to come into existence : originate
dates from the 1400s
b
: to go as far back
dating back to childhood
5
: to show plainly the age of
decor that really dates the house
datable adjective
also dateable
dater noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English date "fruit of the palm," from early French date (same meaning), derived from Latin dactylus "date," from Greek daktylos "date," literally, "finger"

Noun

Middle English date "time of an event," from early French date (same meaning), derived from Latin data (Romae) "given (at Rome)," a phrase used in putting the date on documents, derived from dare "to give" see Word History at 1date

Word Origin
The word date that means "the fruit of the palm" and the word date that means "the time of an event" look alike, but they are not related. The word for the fruit can be traced back to the Greek word daktylos, originally meaning "finger" and "toe." No one knows just how the fruit came to be called by the word for finger. It may be because of its size and shape or because of the slender shape of the palm leaves. Or it may be that daktylos was the closest Greek word to the word for the fruit borrowed from another language. The word for "the time of an event" comes from Latin, but the Latin word did not mean either "day" or "time." Date derives from the Latin phrase data Romae, meaning "given at Rome," an expression used before the date on letters and documents. The word data is from the Latin word dare "to give." In later Latin, the word data came to be used alone to stand for the date, and it came into English as date.

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