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date (n.1)

early 14c., "a period or stretch of time, a season, an age;" mid-14c., "time when something happened or will happen," from Old French date (13c.) "date, day; time," from Medieval Latin data, noun use of fem. singular of Latin datus "given," past participle of dare "to give, grant, offer," from PIE root *do- "to give."

From late 14c. as "the part of a writing or inscription which specifies when it was done." The sense transfer from "given" to "time" is via the Roman convention of closing every article of correspondence by writing "given" and the day and month -- meaning perhaps "given to messenger" -- which led to data becoming a term for "the time (and place) stated." A Roman letter would include something along the lines of datum Romae pridie Kalendas Maias -- "given at Rome on the last day of April."

Out of date "no longer in vogue" is attested from c. 1600.

date (n.2)

"fruit of the date-palm," c. 1300, from Old French date, from Old Provençal datil, from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktylos "date," originally "finger, toe." Said to be so called because of fancied resemblance between oblong fruit of the date palm and human digits, but some say it is from the resemblance of the plant's leaves to the palm of the hand. It's also possible that this sense of daktylos is a word from a Semitic source (compare Hebrew deqel, Aramaic diqla, Arabic daqal "date palm") that has been assimilated by folk-etymology to the Greek word for "finger." Date-palm is from 1837; the earlier word was date-tree (c. 1400).

date (n.3)

"liaison at a particular time, by prearrangement," 1885, gradually evolving from date (n.1) in its general sense of "appointment." The romantic sense is by 1890s. Meaning "person one has a date with" is by 1900. Date-rape is attested by 1973.

date (v.1)

c. 1400, daten, "to mark (a document) with a date," also "to assign to or indicate a date" (of an event), from date (n.1). Meaning "to mark as old-fashioned" is from 1895. Intransitive sense of "to have a date" is by 1850.

date (v.2)

"have a romantic liaison;" 1903, from date (n.3). Related: Dated; dating.

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Definitions of date from WordNet
1
date (n.)
the specified day of the month;
what is the date today?
Synonyms: day of the month
date (n.)
a participant in a date;
his date never stopped talking
Synonyms: escort
date (n.)
a meeting arranged in advance;
she asked how to avoid kissing at the end of a date
Synonyms: appointment / engagement
date (n.)
the present;
we haven't heard from them to date
they are up to date
date (n.)
the particular day, month, or year (usually according to the Gregorian calendar) that an event occurred;
he tried to memorizes all the dates for his history class
date (n.)
a particular day specified as the time something happens;
we hope to get together at an early date
the date of the election is set by law
Mother's Day is always on the same date
date (n.)
sweet edible fruit of the date palm with a single long woody seed;
2
date (v.)
go on a date with;
date (v.)
stamp with a date;
The package is dated November 24
Synonyms: date stamp
date (v.)
assign a date to; determine the (probable) date of;
Scientists often cannot date precisely archeological or prehistorical findings
date (v.)
date regularly; have a steady relationship with;
Synonyms: go steady / go out / see
date (v.)
provide with a dateline; mark with a date;
She wrote the letter on Monday but she dated it Saturday so as not to reveal that she procrastinated
From wordnet.princeton.edu