date

{{11}}date (n.¹) "time," early 14c., from O.Fr. date (13c.) "date, day; time," from M.L. data, noun use of fem. sing. of L. datus "given," pp. of dare "to give, grant, offer," from PIE root *do- "to give" (Cf. Skt. dadati "gives," O.Pers. dadatuv "let him give," O.C.S. dati "give," L. donum "gift," Gk. didomi, didonai, "to give, offer," O.Ir. dan "gift, talent").

The Roman convention of closing every article of correspondence by writing "given" and the day and month -- meaning perhaps "given to messenger" -- 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."

{{12}}date (n.²) the fruit, late 13c., from O.Fr. date, from O.Prov. datil, from L. dactylus, from Gk. daktylos "date," originally "finger, toe;" so called because of fancied resemblance between oblong fruit of the date palm and human digits. Possibly from a Semitic source (Cf. Heb. deqel, Aram. diqla, Arabic daqal "date palm") and assimilated to the Greek word for "finger."

{{12}}date (n.³) "liaison," 1885, gradually evolving from DATE (Cf. date) (n.¹) in its general sense of "appointment;" romantic sense by 1890s. Meaning "person one has a date with" is from 1925.

{{13}}date (v.¹) "to mark (a document) with the date," late 14c., from DATE (Cf. date) (n.¹). Meaning "to assign to or indicate a date" (of an event) is from c.1400. Meaning "to mark as old-fashioned" is from 1895. Related: DATED (Cf. Dated); dating.

{{14}}date (v.²) "have a romantic liaison;" 1902, from DATE (Cf. date) (n.³). Related: Dated; dating.