date

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdāt

Synonyms of date next

: the brown, oblong edible fruit of a palm (Phoenix dactylifera)

cookies with raisins and chopped dates

: the tall palm with pinnate leaves that yields the date

date

2 of 3

noun (2)

: the time at which an event occurs

the date of his birth

on this date in history

verb

dated; dating

transitive verb

: 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

: 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

: to mark with characteristics typical of a particular period

: to show up plainly the age of

old-fashioned decor that really dates the house

: to make a usually romantic social arrangement to meet with : to have a date with

someone she dated in high school

intransitive verb

: to estimate or compute a date (see date entry 2 sense 3) or chronology : to reckon chronologically

scientific dating techniques

: originate

a friendship dating from college days

jewelry dating back to the 1700s

: to become outmoded or dated

: 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.

Examples of date in a Sentence

Noun (2) I have a date to meet my financial consultant at seven o'clock the embarrassingly short date of most of his romances 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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Noun

Negotiations on a new Interactive Media Agreement resumed on Wednesday, marking the first official bargaining dates between the two parties since SAG-AFTRA called a strike in July. —

Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2024 Today in history Here are just some of the events on this date in the past. —

The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024

Verb

Minus David Groh, Harper as Rhoda was now as a thirty-something divorcée, rarely dating and focusing on her career. —

Marc Berman, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Related: Who is Tom Brady dating after Gisele Bundchen divorce? —

Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for date

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

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing date

Cite this Entry

Style

“Date.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/date. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

date

1 of 3 noun

ˈdāt

: the oblong edible fruit of a tall Old World palm

: the palm that produces dates

called also date palm

date

2 of 3 noun

: the time at which an event occurs

: a statement giving the time of doing or making (as of a coin or check)

: duration

: the period of time to which something belongs

: appointment sense 3

especially : a social engagement between two persons that often has a romantic character

: a person with whom one has a social engagement

date

3 of 3 verb

dated; dating

: to record the date of or on

date a letter

: to show or find out the date, age, or period of

date an antique

: to make or have a date with

: to come into existence : originate

dates from the 1400s

: to go as far back

dating back to childhood

: 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.

Last Updated: 29 Oct 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

feign

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

date

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Examples of date in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near date

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition