An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A particular day, month, and year at which some event happened or will happen.

Etymology (EN): Date, from O.Fr. date, from M.L. data, from datus “given,” p.p. of dare “to give, grant, offer,” from PIE base *do- “to give” (cf. Pers. dâdan “to give,” as below).
The Roman convention of closing a document by writing “given” and the day and month (meaning “given to messenger”) led to data becoming a term for “the time stated.”

Etymology (PE): Gâhdâd, from gâh “time” (Mid.Pers. gâh, gâs “time;” O.Pers. gāθu-; Av. gātav-, gātu- “place, throne, spot;” cf. Skt. gâtu- “going, motion; free space for moving; place of abode;” PIE *gwem- “to go, come”) + dâd “given,” as in Latin;
p.p. of dâdan “to give” (Mid.Pers. dâdan “to give,” O.Pers./Av. dā- “to give, grant, yield,” Av. dadāiti “he gives,” Skt. dadáti “he gives,” Gk. didomi “I give;” akin to L. data, as above); cf. Mid.Pers., Mod.Pers. dâd “year, age, period of life,” Lori, Laki dâ(d) “age,” homdâ “of equal age.”
Note: In current Persian a single term, târix (تاریخ), is used for two different but related concepts: date and history. This may be confusing, → history (تاریخ).