date
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a specific day of the month and year.
n.a particular day specified by its number in the month and the year.
Simple“Please write the date at the top of your test paper.”
In context“The contract becomes legally binding on the date specified in the final paragraph of the agreement.”
PitfallWhat date is it today? What is the date today?While 'What date is it?' is common in speech, 'What is the date?' is the standard way to ask for the calendar day.
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.a planned meeting with someone you like in a romantic way.
n.a pre-arranged social engagement, typically for the purpose of romantic courtship.
Simple“They are going on a date to the cinema this Friday night.”
In context“After weeks of messaging, they finally agreed on a dinner date at a quiet bistro downtown.”
Synonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.a sweet, brown, oval fruit that grows on a palm tree.
n.the edible, oblong fruit of the date palm, typically consumed dried.
Simple“These dates are very sweet and taste great with walnuts.”
In context“The recipe calls for chopped dates to provide a natural sweetness and a chewy texture to the cake.”
- 05 A2 Elementary
v.to have a romantic relationship with someone.
v.to be romantically involved with someone; can be used transitively or intransitively.
Simple“They have been dating for six months and are very happy.”
In context“Although they have been dating exclusively for a year, they have no immediate plans to move in together.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to find out how old something is.
v.to assign a date to or determine the age of an object or event.
Simple“Scientists used special tests to date the ancient bones.”
In context“Archaeologists were able to date the pottery shards to the early Bronze Age using radiocarbon techniques.”
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to start looking old or out of style.
v.to show the signs of age or to become old-fashioned in appearance or style.
Simple“That style of kitchen cabinet will date very quickly.”
In context“The film's heavy reliance on early digital effects has caused it to date significantly compared to its contemporaries.”
Synonyms
Usage dates back · future date · date with the latest
From Middle English date, from Old French date, datil, datille, from Latin dactylus (likely via Old Provençal datil), from Ancient Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”) (from the resemblance of the date to a human finger), probably a folk-etymological alteration of a word from a Semitic source such as Arabic دَقَل (daqal, “variety of date palm”) or Hebrew דֶּקֶל (deqel, “date palm”). Doublet of dactyl and dactylus.
From Middle English date, from Old French date, from Late Latin data, from Latin datus (“given”), past participle of dare (“to give”); from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”). Doublet of data.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.