Update Is Younger Than the Telephone
To update is to bring something up to date. The verb was formed in the twentieth century from an existing phrase, and computing made it universal.
To update is to bring something into line with current information. The verb is a twentieth-century back-formation from the phrase *up to date*, which itself dates only from the 1880s and came from bookkeeping — accounts written up to the present date. Computing then made *update* one of the most frequently used verbs in English.
- To bring up to date. *Update the records.*
- Noun, new information. *A short update.*
- Software revision. *Install the update.*
- Up to date — current. *Keep the file up to date.*
- Updated — revised. *An updated edition.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | update | Update it. |
| Past | updated | Recently updated. |
| Noun | update | A weekly update. |
| Plural | updates | Security updates. |
| Phrase | up to date | Bang up to date. |
- The site was updated overnight.The verb.
- She sent a brief update.The noun.
- Keep your records up to date.The original phrase, three words.
Up to date or up-to-date?
- After the noun — no hyphens: *keep the list up to date*
- Before the noun — hyphens: *an up-to-date list*
- Update — one word as verb and noun
- Same rule — a well-known writer, but the writer is well known
- Why — hyphens hold a compound adjective together before a noun
A back-formation from *up to date*, which is recorded from the 1880s in bookkeeping. The verb *update* appears in the 1940s and spread rapidly with computing.
When do you hyphenate up to date?
Only before a noun: an up-to-date report, but the report is up to date.
How old is the word update?
The verb dates from the mid-twentieth century. The phrase up to date is older, from the 1880s.