dateback (third-person singular simple presentdates back,present participledating back,simple past and past participledated back)
- To have begun at a particular time; to have records of something extending to a time in history.
This traditiondates back 1000 years
1960 November, G. Freeman Allen, “New Pullman Cars for the East Coast Route”, inTrains Illustrated, page666:After renovation at Preston Park works, they will replace the 52 wooden-bodied cars still working south of the Thames, one of whichdates back as far as 1906; some 20 of the latter will be converted to camping coaches.
2013 July 27, “Battle of the bulge”, inThe Economist, volume408, number8846:For countries with rich culinary traditions thatdate back to the Aztecs and Incas, Mexico and Peru have developed quite a taste for modern food fashions.
2022 November 16, Nigel Harris, “Endless news... little context”, inRAIL, number970, page 3:Essentially, the problemdates back to pre-privatisation, cost-driven British Rail practices which featured an unholy pact between management and unions, whereby management was able to employ fewer drivers and limited pension cost liabilities, while drivers were able to hoover up lots of lucrative Sunday overtime.
