Antedate

Also known as backdating, antedate refers to a document being dated prior to its real completion date. It may help to remember that the "ante" prefix here comes from Latin, meaning "before”...like before the date (or in a different example, in a card game, you pay your ante before the hand is dealt).

For instance, when a contract wasn’t actually signed until January 8th but is dated January 1st, that doesn’t always mean it was a boneheaded error in HR. The previous date is typically left intentionally blank when the parties agree to a contract or payment, but can’t get all the signatures until a later date.

Imagine if John Hancock hadn’t actually been there to sign the Declaration of Independence. Without the magic of email it would have been a logistical nightmare. So, instead of moving Independence Day to something strange like July 13th, they would have just had him sign later and kept that nice July 4th date. Nobody wants to wait for fireworks.