From man (“adult male”) + date (“meeting with a romantic partner”).
Formed from man ‘adult male’ + date ‘meeting with a romantic partner’
Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human being, person, man’
Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’
Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’
Middle English man
English man
Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’
…
Latin datus ‘given’
Late Latin data
Old French date
Middle English date
English date
Today it means
noun A platonic outing by two (typically straight) men, often in settings that would otherwise be reserved for romantic encounters.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / man date
Shirt and support for this word