'antedate' originates from Latin elements: the prefix 'ante-' meaning 'before' combined with 'date' (via Old French 'date'), from Latin 'datum' meaning 'given' or a 'point in time'.

'antedate' was formed in Early Modern English by combining Latin 'ante-' + Old French/English 'date'; early written forms often used a hyphen ('ante-date' or 'antedated'), and it developed into the single-word modern form 'antedate'.

Initially it meant 'to be earlier than' or 'to give an earlier date'; over time these senses have remained largely the same but have been used both transitively (to backdate) and intransitively (to precede in time).