date 1
(dāt)n.1. a. The time stated in terms of the day, month, and year: What is the date of your birth?
b. A statement of calendar time, as on a document.
2. a. A particular point or period of time at which something happened or existed, or is expected to happen: the date of their wedding.
b. dates The years of someone's birth and death: Beethoven's dates were 1770 to 1827.
3. The time during which something lasts; duration: "Summer's lease hath all too short a date" (Shakespeare).
4. The time or historical period to which something belongs: artifacts of a later date.
5. An appointment:
a luncheon date with a client. See Synonyms at
engagement.
6. a. An engagement to go out socially with another person, often out of romantic interest.
b. One's companion on such an outing.
7. An engagement for a performance: has four singing dates this month.
v. dat·ed, dat·ing, dates
v.tr.1. To mark or supply with a date: date a letter.
2. To determine the date of: date a fossil.
3. To betray the age of: Pictures of old cars date the book.
4. To go on a date or dates with.
v.intr.1. To have origin in a particular time in the past: This statue dates from 500 bc.
2. To become old-fashioned.
3. To go on dates.
Idioms: out of date No longer in style; old-fashioned: clothes that went out of date last year.
to date Until now: To date, only half of those invited have responded.
up to date In or into accordance with current information, styles, or technology: brought me up to date on the project's status.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin
data, from Latin
data (Romae),
issued (at Rome) (on a certain day), feminine past participle of
dare,
to give; see
dō- in
Indo-European roots.]
dat′a·ble, date′a·ble adj.
dat′er n.
date 2
(dāt)n.1. The sweet, edible, oblong or oval fruit of the date palm, containing a narrow, hard seed.
2. A date palm.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Old Provençal datil, from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktulos, finger, date (from its shape).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.