What Is Dating?
€Dating' is a word we hear all too often across popular culture and mainstream media, and it is so commonplace that it sometimes seems the word has lost all meaning. We know that it has something to do with love, with making a connection, with activities, but also that it has multiple meanings and can be used as various word types in many different contexts. This article seeks to flesh out the true meaning of the word and how we can reclaim it for more sensible day-to-day use where the core concept is fully exploited.
Let us start with the things we know it doesn't refer to. The base form of the word, €date' can be interpreted with one of four meanings; as a noun it could be the dried, candied fruit popular in the middle east or simply a number on the Gregorian calendar signifying where the Earth is in relation to the sun at any given moment. As a verb it can mean to determine how old an object is or when exactly something came into being using any available evidence, or - and it is here we will focus - it serves to define any formal courtship ritual.
The continuous form of the verb also brings the word full circle and back to a noun albeit an abstract one, not unlike its more famous counterpart €love'. So €dating' is not just something you do to someone but it is also the name for what everyone does with everyone else at some point in their lives. Confusing it may be, but we are starting to get to the root of it and it gets even more complex when the abstract noun turns back into a verb that describes not only individual activities with your partner but your whole relationship from its conception to the point when a couple gets €serious' or even married.
One thing we can be sure about dating is that it now means even more with the advent of technology bringing us online dating. Now you don't even have to be acquainted with anyone or in any kind of relationship, physical or otherwise, to be dating; just a simple bout of online chat will now qualify as dating and it seems that the whole world are at it now. The best solution would be to think less about the word and more about the actions!
Let us start with the things we know it doesn't refer to. The base form of the word, €date' can be interpreted with one of four meanings; as a noun it could be the dried, candied fruit popular in the middle east or simply a number on the Gregorian calendar signifying where the Earth is in relation to the sun at any given moment. As a verb it can mean to determine how old an object is or when exactly something came into being using any available evidence, or - and it is here we will focus - it serves to define any formal courtship ritual.
The continuous form of the verb also brings the word full circle and back to a noun albeit an abstract one, not unlike its more famous counterpart €love'. So €dating' is not just something you do to someone but it is also the name for what everyone does with everyone else at some point in their lives. Confusing it may be, but we are starting to get to the root of it and it gets even more complex when the abstract noun turns back into a verb that describes not only individual activities with your partner but your whole relationship from its conception to the point when a couple gets €serious' or even married.
One thing we can be sure about dating is that it now means even more with the advent of technology bringing us online dating. Now you don't even have to be acquainted with anyone or in any kind of relationship, physical or otherwise, to be dating; just a simple bout of online chat will now qualify as dating and it seems that the whole world are at it now. The best solution would be to think less about the word and more about the actions!
