Foredates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To exist prior to another event or point in time
2. To happen or exist at an earlier time compared to another event or occurrence
3. Refers to an event or moment that precedes another in chronological order

Etymology: "Foredates" is the third-person singular present form of "foredate," a verb meaning to happen or exist before something else. The verb is a simple combination: "fore-," an English prefix meaning "before in time or place" (as in "forerunner" and "foresee"), joined to "date," which here means to be dated or to belong to a particular time. So to foredate something is to come earlier on the calendar than it. The construction is transparent because both parts were already English words. "Fore" comes from Old English "foran," meaning "in front of," and it has long been used to build words about priority in time or position. "Date" traces back through Old French and Medieval Latin to the Latin "data," the feminine past participle of "dare," "to give," from the practice of writing the phrase "data" (given) on a letter to record when it was issued.

Synonyms: predates, antecedes, precedes, comes before, is earlier than

Antonyms: follows, succeeds, comes after, is later than, postdates