What does predating mean?
Predating means that something existed, happened, or took place before a specified person, event, period, or development. It is the present participle of the verb predate and is common in both progressive and adjectival constructions: a process may be described as predating a historical event, or an object as predating a particular innovation. The word is useful when establishing relative chronology without requiring exact dates. For example, a practice can predate the law that later formalized it, or a collection can predate the invention of a technology used to study it. In editorial and historical writing, predating can distinguish genuine earlier existence from a retrospective label or analogy. The term is used in British and American English and carries no strong positive or negative connotation, although its use often implies that a later development does not wholly explain an earlier practice or object.
verbTo occur or exist before something else in time. It may also be used adjectivally to describe something that existed in an earlier period.
- To exist or occur before another person, event, period, or thing in time.
"The oldest surviving copy predates the author's final revision by several years."
"The tradition predates the arrival of Europeans in the region."
"Many of the building's features predate modern safety standards."
Satellite navigation predates the smartphone by decades.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does predating come from?
Predating is the present participle of predate, a word formed in the early 17th century by combining the prefix pre-, meaning “before,” with date. Date comes through Latin from datum, meaning “given,” originally associated with assigning or noting a date. The prefix pre- itself reflects Latin prae-, meaning “before” or “in front of,” and accounts for cognates such as predecessor and prerogative.
Related word forms
How predating is actually used
As the present participle of predate, this form is used both in progressive constructions and adjectivally. It indicates an earlier date or existence, not necessarily a direct causal relationship.