Added 9 October 2026
do
/də/ noun
In Latin: -ne, -nam Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about do at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An uproarious party.
- The syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization.
- Doctor's degree in osteopathy.
verb
Origin
From Middle English don, from Old English dōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dōn, from Proto-Germanic *dōną, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, do, make”). For senses 4 and 5, compare Old Norse duga, also Northern English dow. The past tense form is from Middle English didde, dude, from Old English dyde, *diede, an unexpected development from Proto-Germanic *dedǭ/*dedē (the expected reflex would be *ded), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti, an athematic e-reduplicated verb of the same root *dʰeh₁-. The meaningless use of do in interrogative, negative, and affirmative sentences (e.g.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)