Where does “online dating” come from?

online dating (English) comes from English online date, from English date, from Middle English date, from Old French date, from Latin data, from Latin datum, from Latin datus, from Latin dāre — to give.

online dating (English): Dating over the Internet, typically using a website or app to find potential connections

Definitions

  1. Dating over the Internet, typically using a website or app to find potential connections

Ancestry of “online dating”, step by step

online dating traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English online date

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishonline dateA date over the Internet
2EnglishdateThe fruit of the date palm, "Phoenix...
3Middle Englishdate
4Old Frenchdatedate point in time
5Latindatanominative feminine singular of datus; nominative...
6Latindatumgift, present; accusative supine of dō;...
7Latindatusgiven; offered; yielded
8Latindāre
9Proto-Italicdidōgive
10Proto-Indo-Europeandédeh₃tito be giving
11Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₃-to give

via English ing

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishingA meadow, especially a low meadow near a river;...
2Middle Englishing
3Old Englishingmeadow, water meadow, ing
4Old Norseengmeadow
5Proto-GermanicangijōA low lying meadow in a valley or near a river
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂énkoscurve, bend
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

via English dating

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdatingpresent participle of date; A form of romantic...

Words derived from “online dating

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₃-Every word from Proto-Indo-European dédeh₃tiEvery word from Proto-Italic didō