A particular day on the calendar; also, a social meeting between two people who may be romantically interested in each other; as a verb, to go out with someone or to mark something with a date.
From Old French 'date', from Latin 'datum' meaning 'given', used in phrases like 'date given' on documents. The romantic sense grew in American English in the late 1800s.
The same word that stamps time on documents also describes romantic meetups. A 'date' is really about marking a specific moment as special—on paper or in your memory.
“Date” in the romantic sense is embedded in courtship norms that historically cast men as initiators and payers and women as choosers or gatekeepers, often reinforcing heteronormative and gendered power dynamics. In legal and social contexts, assumptions about who ‘asks whom out’ and who owes what on a date have influenced expectations and judgments about behavior, consent, and safety.
Use “date” without assuming heterosexual pairings or gendered roles (e.g., avoid “the man pays on the date” as a norm). Be explicit and neutral when discussing consent and expectations around dating.
["meeting","outing","romantic outing","appointment (for time/date sense)"]
Acknowledge that women and LGBTQ+ communities have challenged traditional dating scripts and expanded models of mutual consent, shared costs, and non-heteronormative relationships.
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