To put an earlier date on a document than the actual date it was written, or to exist or occur before something else in time.
From Latin 'ante' (before) + 'date' (from Latin 'dare', to give). First used in the sense of 'assign an earlier date' in the 1600s, then metaphorically for 'precede in time.'
Checking dates on historical documents is crucial for archaeologists and historians because deliberate antedating of checks, contracts, or artifacts has been used for centuries in fraud, forgery, and historical deception.
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