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antedate

[verb an-ti-deyt, an-ti-deyt; noun an-ti-deyt]
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verb (used with object), an·te·dat·ed, an·te·dat·ing.
  1. to be of older date than; precede in time: The Peruvian empire antedates the Mexican empire.
  2. predate(def 1).
  3. to assign to an earlier date: to antedate a historical event.
  4. to cause to return to an earlier time: to antedate one's thoughts by remembering past events.
  5. to cause to happen sooner; accelerate: The cold weather antedated their departure from the country.
  6. Archaic. to take or have in advance; anticipate.
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noun
  1. a prior date.
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Origin of antedate

1570–80; earlier antidate < Middle French antidater, derivative of antidate a date earlier than the true date (by association with anté- ante-), originally a date put in place of another date; see ante-, date1
Can be confusedanecdote antedate antidoteantedate predate postdate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for antedate

Historical Examples

  • These figures are, however, unreliable, and antedate the Russian Revolution.

    The Pacific Triangle

    Sydney Greenbie

  • This would make them antedate July, 1759, which is not true of the bakehouse.

  • So does the species of animal or plant outlast and antedate the lifetime of one man.

    The Arena

    Various

  • The actual beginnings of the town may antedate the Romans, but of this we know nothing.

    Seaward Sussex

    Edric Holmes

  • Here again Pitt's hopeful nature led him to antedate the course of events.

British Dictionary definitions for antedate

antedate

verb (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt, ˌæntɪˈdeɪt) (tr)
  1. to be or occur at an earlier date than
  2. to affix a date to (a document, etc) that is earlier than the actual date
  3. to assign a date to (an event, etc) that is earlier than its previously assigned date
  4. to cause to occur sooner
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noun (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt)
  1. an earlier date
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antedate

v.

1580s, earlier as noun meaning "a backdating, false early date attached to a document or event" (1570s); from Latin ante "before" (see ante) + date (v.1). Related: Antedated; antedating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper