Date back means to have existed since a particular time in the past, to go back to that time. The church dates back to 1450 means it was built in 1450 and is over five hundred years old. People say it about buildings, traditions and recipes, and even about a friendship or an argument that goes back a long way.
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date back to + period/year; date back + number + years; date from + period (without back)
- Our family recipe for apple pie dates back to my great-grandmother's village bakery.
- The oldest part of the castle dates back to the twelfth century.
- Their friendship dates back to their first week at university, when they shared a flat.
What changed
First versionThe cathedral is dated back to the fourteenth century.
RevisionThe cathedral dates back to the fourteenth century.
It's easy to think of a building as being dated by someone, which leads to is dated back. But date back is an ordinary active verb: the building itself goes back to its century, and nobody is dating it. Is dated was replaced with dates. The passive has been dated to is used when scientists have worked out the age: The bones have been dated to 3000 BC.
Don't confuse the verb with the adjective dated, meaning old-fashioned: The hotel was clean, but the rooms looked a bit dated. That's why The cathedral is dated on its own sounds like “the cathedral is out of date”, not a statement about its age.
Your turn
The castle ___ the twelfth century, so it is almost nine hundred years old.
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dates back to — When you name the time, date back is followed by to: dates back to the twelfth century. From can seem natural, since the castle has existed from that time, but from is used without back: The castle dates from the twelfth century.
Write about an old building, object or tradition you know. Say what time it dates back to.
The wooden church in my grandparents' village dates back to the eighteenth century.
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