What does predate mean?
Predate means to exist, happen, or be used before a particular time, event, or development. For example, a technology may predate the invention of the device that eventually made it practical. The word is common in discussions of history, science, culture, and technology, where it helps establish chronology without requiring an exact date. It can also imply that something is older or earlier than a better-known development: an artistic technique might predate a famous movement, or a medical practice might predate modern laboratory research. Although “predate” often appears in formal writing, it is broadly understandable in ordinary English and is not limited to any one profession. Related forms include “predates,” “predated,” and “predating.”
verbTo exist or occur before a specified date or period. It can also mean to be earlier than something in a sequence or historical development.
- To occur or exist before a particular date or historical period.
- To be earlier than something else in a sequence of events or developments.
"The discovery predates many of the scientific breakthroughs that followed it."
"The oldest manuscript predates the establishment of the library."
"Many of the plant's medicinal uses predate modern scientific research."
If something predates an event, it was already part of the story before that event made headlines.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does predate come from?
Predate is formed in English from the prefix pre-, meaning “before,” and the word date. Date ultimately comes from Latin datus, the past participle of dare, “to give,” referring originally to the day or period assigned to an event. The same Latin root appears in cognates such as data, datum, and dative, although predate itself uses the English sense of dating an event in time.
Related word forms
How predate is actually used
Predate is neutral in register and is especially common in historical, scientific, and cultural contexts. It is usually used with a specific date, period, event, or development as its object.