dating

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
date1

▶noun

• 1 the day of the month or year as specified by a number.

• 2 a day or year when a given event occurred or will occur.

  ■ (dates) the years of a person's birth and death or of the beginning and end of a period or event.

  ■ the period of time to which something belongs.

• 3 a social or romantic appointment.

• 4 a musical or theatrical performance, especially as part of a tour.

▶verb

• 1 establish the date of.

  ■ mark with a date.

  ■ (date from or back to) have existed since.

• 2 (often as adj. dated) appear or cause to appear old-fashioned.

• 3 informal go on a date with.

– phrases
to date until now.

– derivatives
dateless adjective.

– origin ME: via OFr. from med. L. data, fem. past part. of dare ‘give’; from the L. formula used in dating letters, data (epistola) ‘(letter) given or delivered’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
date2

▶noun

• 1 a sweet, dark brown, oval fruit with a hard stone, usually eaten dried.

• 2 (also date palm) a tall palm tree which bears clusters of dates, native to western Asia and North Africa. [Phoenix dactylifera.]

– origin ME: from OFr., via L. from Gk daktulos ‘finger’ (because of the finger-like shape of its leaves).