date

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdāt 

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 sweet

—Rebecca 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

ˈdā-tə-bəl 

dater

ˈdā-tər 

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.

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• appointment
• assignation
• engagement
• rendezvous
• tryst

Verb

• go out (with)
• take out

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 permanent dates for the week were designated in 1993 to be officially observed starting in 1994. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024

Produced by Live Nation, THE TOUR is the Jonas Brothers’ most ambitious to date, with 98 shows in 26 countries. —Natalia Cano, Billboard, 3 May 2024

As for his date, Teigen rocked a black mini Alexandre Vauthier dress with an oversized, floral pink ruffle. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024

Born in the Wild is set to arrive this month, but Tems has not yet shared an official release date or tracklist. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024

Scroll down for a complete schedule, including dates, start times and cities featured throughout the event. —Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024

Todd and Williams began to date, both enrolled in the Air Force, and later married in a small, private ceremony in North Carolina. —Kelly Heinzerling, ABC News, 3 May 2024

The RSUs vest over a three-year period, with first vesting occurring six months from the date of grant (at which point 6/36ths vest) and, thereafter, the RSUs vest at a rate of 3/36th per quarter for the remainder of the vesting period subject to the continued employment of the grantee. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024

Profit Boost Google’s deals with Apple date to 2002, when the Safari developer first gained the option to integrate Google search into the browser, according to court papers. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 3 May 2024

Verb

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department holds steady at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated May 11) in its second week, earning 439,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending May 2 (down 83%), according to Luminate. —Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 5 May 2024

The company’s database includes more than 35 million consumer requests for legal assistance dating to 2002. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 5 May 2024

Actually, the ferries themselves—battered, hulking brutes, some dating to the Johnson administration, that glide ploddingly along the Puget Sound, their white masses contrasting with the blues and greens of the landscape—have scarcely changed at all. —Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2024

But Jake Ryan was already dating the beautiful Caroline, played by Haviland Morris. —Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024

The case, brought by former Arizona State swimmer Grant House, contends college athletes should receive a cut of the billions of dollars in media rights fees that go to the power conferences and the NCAA, dating to 2016. —Ralph D. Russo, Fortune, 4 May 2024

The incident could shed light on the origins of self-medication for wounds, which was mentioned by humans in a medical manuscript dating to 2200 B.C.E., the Guardian writes. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2024

Tom Sandoval started dating model Victoria Lee Robinson at the beginning of the year, marking his first relationship post-Scandoval. —Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024

Marvel Studios has dated the movie for July 25, 2025. —Angelique Jackson, Variety, 2 May 2024

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

Phrases Containing date

• at a later/future date
• birth date
• blind date
• date back
• date back to
• date from
• date line
• date of birth
• date rape
• date rape drug
• dinner date
• double date
• drop-dead date
• due date
• effective date
• expiration date
• expiry date
• heavy date
• international date line
• out-of-date
• rain date
• sell-by date
• set a date
• street date
• target date
• the international date line
• to date
• up-to-date

Kids Definition

date

1 of 3 noun

ˈdāt 

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

: duration

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

ˈdāt-ə-bəl 

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.