from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Date \Date\, n.[F. datte, L. dactylus, fr. Gr. ?, prob. not the
same word as da`ktylos finger, but of Semitic origin.] (Bot.)
The fruit of the date palm; also, the date palm itself.
[1913 Webster]
Note: This fruit is somewhat in the shape of an olive,
containing a soft pulp, sweet, esculent, and wholesome,
and inclosing a hard kernel.
[1913 Webster]
{Date palm}, or {Date tree} (Bot.), the genus of palms which
bear dates, of which common species is {Ph[oe]nix
dactylifera}. See Illust.
{Date plum} (Bot.), the fruit of several species of
{Diospyros}, including the American and Japanese
persimmons, and the European lotus ({Diospyros Lotus}).
{Date shell}, or {Date fish} (Zool.), a bivalve shell, or its
inhabitant, of the genus {Pholas}, and allied genera. See
{Pholas}.
[1913 Webster]