do

See also: Appendix:Variations of "do"

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Page categories

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Do

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Do-support

Wikipedia

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, whence Danish du.

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. "Do you like painting?" "Yes, I do"), existing in some form in most Germanic languages,^[1] is thought by some linguists to be one of the Brittonicisms in English, calqued from Brythonic.^[2] It is first recorded in Middle English, where it may have marked the perfective aspect, though in some cases the meaning seems to be imperfective. In Early Modern English, any meaning in such contexts was lost, making it a dummy auxiliary, and soon thereafter its use became mandatory in most questions and negations.

Doublets include deed, deem, -dom, but not deal.

Other cognates include, via Latin, English feast, festival, fair (“celebration”), via Greek, English theo-, theme, thesis, and Sanskrit दधाति (dadhāti, “to put”), धातृ (dhātṛ, “creator”) and धातु (dhātu, “layer, element, root”).

Pronunciation

(stressed) enPR: do͞o, IPA^(key): /duː/
- (UK) IPA^(key): /duː/
  - Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /du/
  - Audio (US): (file)
- (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /dʉː/
  - Audio (General Australian): (file)
(unstressed, before a consonant) IPA^(key): /də/
- Audio (US): (file)
(unstressed, before a vowel) IPA^(key): /dʊ/
(colloquial; for some speakers, when "do" is unstressed and the next word starts with /j/) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒ/. See d'you.
Rhymes: -uː
Homophones: doo, Doubs, doux
Homophones: dew, due (yod-dropping)

Verb

do (third-person singular simple present does, present participle doing, simple past did, past participle done)

(auxiliary) A syntactic marker.
1. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in a question whose main verb is not another auxiliary verb or be.
  Do you go there often?
2. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in negations with the indicative and imperative moods.
  I do not go there often.
  
  Do not listen to him.
  - 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:
    “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.
3. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker for emphasis with the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods.
  But I do go sometimes.
  
  Do tell us.
  - 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
    “I don't know how you and the ‘head,’ as you call him, will get on, but I do know that if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. […] ”
  - 1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:
    "Do stop it," said Susan; "it won't make things any better having a row between you two. Let's go and find Lucy."
4. (pro-verb) A syntactic marker that refers back to an earlier verb and allows the speaker to avoid repeating the verb; in most dialects, not used with auxiliaries such as be, though it can be in AAVE.
  I play tennis; she does too.
  
  They don't think it be like it is, but it do. (nonstandard)
  - 1930, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Embraceable You:
    Don't be a naughty baby,
    Come to papa, come to papa, do!
    My sweet embraceable you.
(transitive) To perform; to execute.
Synonyms: accomplish, carry out, functionate

If you want something done, do it yourself.

All you ever do is surf the Internet. What will you do this afternoon?
- 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 48:
  The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", […] and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.
(obsolete, transitive) To cause, make (someone) (do something).
- 1490, William Caxton, “Prologue”, in Eneydos (in Middle English); republished as Caxton's Eneydos, London: Early English Text Society, 1890, page 2:
  And also my lorde abbot of westmynster ded do shewe to me late, certayn euydences wryton in olde englysshe […]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7, page 258:
  Sometimes to do him laugh, ſhe would aſſay / To laugh at ſhaking off the leaues light, / Or to behold the water worke […]
- 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC:
  Emongſt the reſt a wicked maladie / Raign’d emongſt men, that manie did to die, […]
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 8:1, column 1:
  MOreouer, brethren, wee do you to wit [i.e. we make you to know] of the grace of God beſtowed on the Churches of Macedonia, […]
(intransitive, transitive) To suffice.
it’s not the best broom, but it will have to do; this will do me, thanks.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:
  “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.
- 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit:
  "Here," she said, "take your old Bunny! He'll do to sleep with you!" And she dragged the Rabbit out by one ear, and put him into the Boy's arms.
(intransitive) To be reasonable or acceptable.
It simply will not do to have dozens of children running around such a quiet event.
(ditransitive) To have (as an effect).
The fresh air did him some good.
(intransitive) To fare, perform (well or poorly).
Our relationship isn't doing very well; how do you do?
- 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
  Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.
1. (especially England, intransitive) To fare well; to thrive; to prosper; (of livestock) to fatten.
  - 1908 September 21, “The fattening beast”, in Mark Lane Express Agricultural Journal‎^[4], page 340:
    A big framed beast takes a lot of food — expensive food at that [—] to keep it doing […]
  - 1971, George Ewart Evans, quoting ploughman Charles Last (born 1878), Tools of Their Trades: An Oral History of Men at Work c. 1900‎^[5], Taplinger Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 68:
    That farm would go like a rick a-fire. It would do: it would go forward and prosper and make him his money.
(transitive, chiefly in questions) To have as one's job.
What does Bob do? — He's a plumber.
To perform the tasks or actions associated with (something).
Don't forget to do your report!
To cook.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cook

I'll just do some eggs.
- 1889, Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat […] ‎^[6]:
  It seemed, from his account, that he was very good at doing scrambled eggs.
- 1944, “News from the Suburbs”, in Punch‎^[7]:
  We went down below, and the galley-slave did some ham and eggs, and the first lieutenant, who was aged 19, told me about Sicily, and time went like a flash.
- 2005, Alan Tansley, The Grease Monkey, page 99:
  Next morning, they woke about ten o'clock, Kev, went for a shower while Alice, did some toast, put the kettle on, and when he came out, she went in.
(transitive) To travel in, to tour, to make a circuit of.
- 1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Our Foreign Correspondent”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 115:
  We 'did' London to our hearts' content,—thanks to Fred and Frank,—and were sorry to go away; […]
- 1892, James Batchelder, Multum in Parvo: Notes from the Life and Travels of James Batchelder‎^[8], page 97:
  After doing Paris and its suburbs, I started for London […]
- 1968 July 22, Ralph Schoenstein, “Nice Place to Visit”, in New York Magazine‎^[9], page 28:
  No tourist can get credit for seeing America first without doing New York, the Wonderful Town, the Baghdad-on-Hudson, the dream in the eye of the Kansas hooker […]
Let’s do New York also.
(transitive) To treat in a certain way.
- 1894, Harper's New Monthly Magazine‎^[10], volume 87, page 59, column 1:
  They did me well, I assure you—uncommon well: Bollinger of '84; green chartreuse fit for a prince; […]
- 1928, Dorothy L[eigh] Sayers, “The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers”, in Lord Peter Views the Body:
  Upon my word, although he [my host] certainly did me uncommonly well, I began to feel I'd be more at ease among the bushmen.
- 1994, Jervey Tervalon, Understand This‎^[11], →ISBN, page 50:
  "Why you gonna do me like that?" I ask. "Do what?" "Dog me."
- 2023, “Christmas, Why You Gotta Do Me Like This”, performed by Eels:
  Christmas, why you gotta do me like this / I always embraced you / Held you close inside my heart
(transitive) To work for or on, by way of caring for, looking after, preparing, cleaning, keeping in order, etc.
- 2018, Kate Atkinson, Transcription, →ISBN, page 291:
  The woman-who-did did not do very well, Juliet thought.
(intransitive, obsolete) To act or behave in a certain manner; to conduct oneself.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Kings 17:34, column 2:
  Vnto this day they doe after the former manners: they feare not the Lord, neither doe they after their Statutes, or after their Ordinances, or after the Law and Commaundement which the Lord commaunded the children of Iacob, whom hee named Iſrael, […]
(transitive) To spend (time) in jail. (See also do time)
Synonym: serve

I did five years for armed robbery.
(transitive) To impersonate or depict.
Synonyms: imitate, personate, take off

They really laughed when he did Clinton, with a perfect accent and a leer.
(with 'a' and the name of a person, place, event, etc.) To copy or emulate the actions or behaviour that is associated with the person or thing mentioned.
He did a Henry VIII and got married six times.

He was planning to do a 9/11.
(transitive, slang) To kill.
Synonyms: do in, murder, off, rub out; see also Thesaurus:kill
- 1984, William Gibson, Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 22:
  Case pulled the .22 out of his pocket and levelled it at Wage's crotch. “I hear you wanna do me.”
- 2003 August 17, George Pelecanos, “Bad Dreams” (43:27 from the start), in The Wire, season 2, episode 11 (television production), spoken by Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), via HBO:
  About a year ago, a boy name Brandon got got here in Baltimore. Stuck and burned before he passed. […] Wasn't no need for y'all to do him the way y'all did.
- 2004, Patrick Stevens, Politics Is the Greatest Game: A Johannesburg Liberal Lampoon‎^[12], →ISBN, page 314:
  He's gonna do me, Jarvis. I kid you not, this time he's gonna do me proper.
- 2007, E.J. Churchill, The Lazarus Code, page 153:
  The order came and I did him right there. The bullet went right where it was supposed to go.
(transitive, slang) To deal with for good and all; to finish up; to undo; to ruin; to do for.
- 1870, Charles Reade, Put Yourself in His Place:
  Sometimes they lie in wait in these dark streets, and fracture his skull, […] or break his arm, or cut the sinew of his wrist; and that they call doing him.
(informal) To punish for a misdemeanor.
He got done for speeding.

Teacher'll do you for that!
(transitive, slang) To have sex with. (See also do it)
Synonyms: go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
- c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
  Deme. Villaine what haſt thou done?
  A. That which thou canſt not vndoe.
  Chiron. Thou haſt vndone our mother.
  Aron. Villaine I haue done thy mother.
- 1996, James Russell Kincaid, My Secret Life, page 81:
  […] one day I did her on the kitchen table, and several times on the dining-room table.
- 2008, Donna Hill, On the Line‎^[13], page 84:
  The uninhibited woman within wanted to do him right there on the countertop, but I remained composed.
(transitive) To cheat or swindle.
Synonyms: defraud, diddle, mug off, rip off, scam; see also Thesaurus:deceive

That guy just did me out of two hundred bucks!
- 1852, Thomas De Quincey, Sir William Hamilton:
  He was not to be done, at his time of life, by frivolous offers of a compromise that might have secured him seventy-five per cent.
(transitive) To convert into a certain form; especially, to translate.
the novel has just been done into English; I'm going to do this play into a movie
(transitive, intransitive) To finish.
(archaic, dialectal, transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the present progressive of verbs.
- 1844, William Barnes, “Evenén in the Village”, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect:
  ...An' the dogs do bark, an' the rooks be a-vled to the elems high and dark, an' the water do roar at mill.
(stock exchange) To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note.
(informal, transitive, ditransitive) To make or provide.
Synonyms: furnish, give, supply; see also Thesaurus:give

Do they do haircuts there?

Could you do me a burger with mayonnaise instead of ketchup?
(informal, transitive) To injure (one's own body part).
- 2010 April 24, “Given stretchered off with suspected broken shoulder”, in The Irish Times‎^[14], retrieved 2015-07-21:
  "Defender Kolo Toure admitted Given will be a loss, but gave his backing to Nielsen. 'I think he's done his shoulder,' said the Ivorian."
- 2014 April 14, Matt Cleary, “What do Australia's cricketers do on holiday?”, in ESPNcricinfo‎^[15], retrieved 2015-07-21:
  "Watto will spend the entire winter stretching and doing Pilates, and do a hamstring after bending down to pick up his petrol cap after dropping it filling his car at Caltex Cronulla."
- 2014 August 13, Harry Thring, “I knew straight away I'd done my ACL: Otten”, in AFL.com.au‎^[16], retrieved 2015-07-21:
  "'I knew straight away I'd done my ACL, I heard the sound - it was very loud and a few of the boys said they heard it as well,' Otten said."
(transitive) To take (a drug).
I do cocaine.
(transitive, in the form be doing [somewhere]) To exist with a purpose or for a reason.
What's that car doing in our swimming pool?
(informal, transitive) To drive a vehicle at a certain speed, especially in regard to a speed limit.
He was doing 50 [miles per hour] in a school zone.

Usage notes

In older forms of English, when the pronoun thou was in active use, and verbs used -est for distinct second-person singular indicative forms, the verb do had two such forms: dost, in auxiliary uses, and doest, in other uses. The past tense of both forms is didst.
Similarly, when the ending -eth was in active use for third-person singular present indicative forms, the form doth was used as an auxiliary, and the form doeth was used elsewhere.

Conjugation

Conjugation of do

infinitive	(to) do
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	do	did
2nd-person singular	do, doest^†, dost^†	did, didst^†
3rd-person singular	does, doeth^†, doth^†	did
plural	do	did

subjunctive	do	did

imperative	do	—

participles	doing	done

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Antonyms

don't

Derived terms

Translations

See do/translations § Verb.

Noun

do (plural dos or do's or (uncommon) doos)

(UK, informal) A party, celebration, social function; usually of moderate size and formality.
Synonyms: get-together; see also Thesaurus:party

We’re having a bit of a do on Saturday to celebrate my birthday.
- 1980, Jona Lewie, Keef Trouble (lyrics and music), “You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties”, performed by Jona Lewie:
  She was into French cuisine but I ain't no Cordon Bleu / This was at some do in Palmers Green, I had no luck with her
- 1980 December 13, Mitzel, “Dale Barbre's Murder Transformed”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 13:
  A gross-gutted, bulb-nosed, bourbon-stanky Boston flatfoot in plain clothes wrinkled white sox, with a race track tip-sheet stuffed in his back pocket trying real hard to mingle unnoticed at an elegant Buddies "do" to glean inside-dope.
- 2013 September 13, Russell Brand, “Russell Brand and the GQ awards”, in The Guardian‎^[17]:
  […] ; this aside, though, neon forever the moniker of trash, this is a posh do, in an opera house full of folk in tuxes.
(informal) Clipping of hairdo.
Alternative form: 'do

Nice do!

I don't like to spend time on my hairstyle, so I usually just wear a do-rag.
- 2012, Hannah Richell, The Secrets of the Tides, →ISBN, page 464:
  I like the new do.
(chiefly fossilized) Something that can or should be done.
Antonym: don't

Don't forget the dos and don'ts.
- 1916, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter VIII, in Just David‎^[18]:
  With the coming of Monday arrived a new life for David—a curious life full of "don'ts" and "dos."
(chiefly obsolete, fossilized in the UK) Something that has been done.
"How come you quit?" "I'm moving to London." "Fair dos."
(archaic) Ado; bustle; stir; to-do; A period of confusion or argument.
Synonym: to-do
- 1689, John Selden, Table Talk:
  A great deal of do, and a great deal of trouble.
(obsolete, UK, slang) A cheat; a swindler.
(obsolete, UK, slang) An act of swindling; a fraud or deception.
(UK, slang) A homicide.
- 2020 December 4, “No fibs” (1:34 from the start), in (Zone 2) Karma × Trizzac (lyrics), Demented:
  Get it done, no not properly
  Them man thought that they got me
  True, I came back like a fucking zombie
  Attempted do with the ching
  Have an opp boy say “please don’t chong me!”

Usage notes

For the plural of the noun, the spelling dos would be correct; do's is often used for the sake of legibility, but is sometimes considered incorrect.

Derived terms

Translations

See do/translations § Noun.

Etymology 2

English Wikipedia has an article on:

C (musical note)

Wikipedia

Coined by Italian musicologist Giovanni Battista Doni in 1635 as an easier-to-sing open-syllable revision to the solmization ut of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin Dominus (“The Lᴏʀᴅ”) (speculated by some to be an ulterior abbreviation of Giovanni Battista Doni) on the pattern of other Latinate solfège with the stated justification that God is the tonic and root of the world.

Alternative forms

doh, Do

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: dō, IPA^(key): /dəʊ/
(US) enPR: dō, IPA^(key): /doʊ/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -əʊ
Homophones: doe, dough, d'oh

Noun

do (plural dos)

(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the first and eighth tonic of a major scale.
Synonym: (archaic) ut

Translations

See do/translations § Noun.

Etymology 3

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Ditto mark

Wikipedia

Short for ditto.

Alternative forms

do.

Adverb

do (not comparable)

(archaic) Abbreviation of ditto.^[3]

Etymology 4

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Dozen

Wikipedia

Shortening of dozen.

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: dō, IPA^(key): /dəʊ/
(US) enPR: dō, IPA^(key): /doʊ/

Numeral

do

The cardinal number occurring after el and before do one in a duodecimal system. Written 10, decimal value 12.

References

“do”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

^ Langer, Nils (2001) Linguistic Purism in Action: How auxiliary tun was stigmatized in Early New High German‎^[1], de Gruyter, →ISBN
^ John McWhorter (2009) “What else happened to English? A brief for the Celtic hypothesis”, in English language & linguistics, volume 13, number 2, Cambridge: University Press, pages 163-191
^ “The O'Connell National Statue”, in The Freeman's Journal‎^[2], Dublin, 1862 October 23, page 2

Anagrams

O.D., OD, O&D, od, Od, O/D

Albanian

Alternative forms

don — Gheg

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/, [do], [dɔ]

Verb

do

second/third-person singular present indicative of dua; “you want/love”, “he/she/it wants/loves”

Atong (India)

Etymology

From Hindi दो (do).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/

Numeral

do (Bengali script দো)

two

Synonyms

References

van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary. Stated in Appendix 3.

Bambara

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [dòꜜò]

Noun

do

group

References

2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Barai

Noun

do

water

References

The Papuan Languages of New Guinea (1986, →ISBN)

Bavarian

Etymology

From Middle High German doch, from Old High German doh, from Proto-West Germanic *þauh, from Proto-Germanic *þauh. Cognates include German doch, Dutch doch, Yiddish דאָך (dokh), Luxembourgish dach, English though, Old Norse þó, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐌷 (þauh).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̥oː/

Adverb

do

Expresses a contrast
1. Contradicts what may be believed and/or emphasises a certainty: certainly, but, really, just (always unstressed)
  Mia san do kane Trottln. ― We certainly are no idiots.
  
  Des Gschäft håd do zugsperrt. ― But the shop has closed down.
  
  Den kenn i do! ― I do know him.
  
  I wui do nur wissa, wo's då auße geht. ― I really just want to know where the exit is.
2. Emphasis on a different outcome than expected: after all, in the end (always stressed)
  Mia san do kane Trottln. ― We are no idiots after all.
  
  Des Gschäft håd do zugsperrt. ― The shop has closed down after all.
  
  I håb's versuacht, owa dånn do ned gschåfft. ― I've tried, but in the end I failed.

Boko

Numeral

do

one

Catalan

Etymology 1

From Latin dōnum (“gift”).

Pronunciation

(traditional) IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈdo]
(more commonly) IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈdɔ]

Noun

do m (plural dons)

gift
talent

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian do.

Pronunciation

(originally, Italianate) IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈdɔ]
(more commonly) IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈdo]

Noun

do m (plural dos)

(music) do (first note of diatonic scale)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈdo]

Verb

do

(obsolete) first-person singular present indicative of dar

Central Franconian

Etymology 1

From Old High German dār (“there”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔː/

Adverb

do

here; there; in this or that place

Etymology 2

From Old High German duo (“then”), variant of do, dō. Compare German da, Dutch toen.

Alternative forms

du, dunn (southern Moselle Francoinan)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/ (traditional)
IPA^(key): /dɔː/ (now sometimes by conflation with etymology 1 under standard German influence)

Adverb

do

(Ripuarian, northern Moselle Franconian) then; back then (at a certain time in the past)

Etymology 3

From Old High German du.

Alternative forms

du (many dialects)
dou (some dialects of Moselle Franconian)
de (unstressed form)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/

Pronoun

do

(few dialects, including Kölsch) thou; you (singular)

Chinese

Etymology

From English do. Resemblance to Taishanese 做 (du¹, “to do”) is probably coincidence.

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): du¹

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: du¹
  - Yale: dū
  - Cantonese Pinyin: du¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: du¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tuː⁵⁵/

Verb

do (Hong Kong Cantonese)

Synonyms

做 (zou⁶)

Derived terms

do嘢
識do／识do

References

Bolton, Kingsley, Hutton, Christopher (2005) A Dictionary of Cantonese Slang: The Language of Hong Kong Movies, Street Gangs and City Life, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN, page 100
English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech do, from Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈdo]
Audio: (file)

Preposition

do [with genitive]

into, in (to the inside of)
Vešel do místnosti. ― He walked into the room.

Dostala se jí voda do bot. ― Water got in her boots.
to, in (in the direction of, and arriving at; indicating destination)
Jdeme do obchodu. ― We are walking to the shop.

Přiletěli jsme do New Yorku. ― We arrived in New York.
until (up to the time of)
Zůstal tam až do neděle. ― He stayed there until Sunday.
by (at some time before the given time)
Ať jsi zpátky do desíti! ― Be back by ten o'clock!
to, in (physical blows "to" a body part)
Do hlavy ne! ― Don’t hit me in the head!

Oběť byla pobodána do břicha ― Victim has stab wounds to the stomach.
to, up to (extreme limit, all the way up to)
Budeme si to pamatovat do posledního dechu ― We will remember it till our last breath.

Dutch

Etymology

From Italian do (“the note”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
Audio: (file)
Hyphenation: do
Rhymes: -oː

Noun

do m or f (plural do's)

do, the musical note
(Belgium) C, the musical note

Synonyms

ut (archaic)

Esperanto

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [do]
Hyphenation: do

Etymology 1

Noun

do (accusative singular do-on, plural do-oj, accusative plural do-ojn)

The name of the Latin-script letter D/d.

Etymology 2

From French donc, possibly via apheresis of Latin ad tunc (see adonc). Compare Italian dunque, Romanian atunci, Spanish entonces.

Adverb

do

therefore, then, so (with conclusion), indeed, however

Fala

Alternative forms

du (Lagarteiru, Valverdeñu)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese do, equivalent to de (“of”) +‎ o (masculine singular definite article).

Contraction

do m sg (plural dos, feminine da, feminine plural das)

(Mañegu) of the
- 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Theme I, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
  I si “a patria do homi é sua lengua”, cumu idía Albert Camus, o que está claru é que a lengua está mui por encima de fronteiras, serras, rius i maris, de situaciós pulíticas i sociu-económicas, de lazus religiosus e inclusu familiaris.
  And if “a man’s homeland [i.e. “homeland of the man”] is his language”, as Albert Camus said, what is clear is that language is above borders, mountain ranges, rivers and seas, above political and socio-economic situations, of religious and even family ties.

References

Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[19], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Faroese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /toː/
Rhymes: -oː

Noun

do n (genitive singular dos, plural do)

(music) do

Declension

Declension of do
n3	singular		plural
n3	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	do	doið	do	doini
accusative	do	doið	do	doini
dative	doi	doinum	doum	dounum
genitive	dos	dosins	doa	doanna

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/
Audio (Paris): (file)
Rhymes: -o

Noun

do m (plural do)

(music) do, the note 'C'
Synonym: ut

Galician

Etymology

From contraction of preposition de (“of, from”) + masculine definite article o (“the”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ʊ/

Contraction

do m (feminine da, masculine plural dos, feminine plural das)

of the; from the; 's
cabalo do demo ― demon's horse ("dragonfly")

Garo

Alternative forms

do·o (A·chik)

Etymology

Glottal stop loss of do·o

Noun

do (Mandi)

bird

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French dos (“back”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/

Noun

do

(anatomy) back

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

too (Wiesemann spelling system)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /toː/

Adverb

do

here
Synonyms: hie, hier

Die Fraa is nimmi do. ― The woman isn't here anymore.
then; so
Synonym: dann

Do sim-mer fortgesprung. ― Then we fled.

Ido

Adverb

do

so, therefore

Irish

Etymology 1

From confusion between Middle Irish ro- (in perfect), no- (in imperfect and conditional), and do- (of many verbs with that preverb), from Old Irish ro-, no-, to- respectively.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Alternative forms

d’ (used before vowels and lenited fh-)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɔ/, /d̪ˠə/

Particle

do (triggers lenition)

(Munster, literary) prefixed before the preterite, imperfect and conditional forms of a verb
do mhol sé ― he praised

Etymology 2

Reanalysis of do (“past tense marker”) and the early modern unstressed preverb do- of verbs like do-gheibhim (“I get”), do-chím (“I see”) (and possibly also a- in a-tú (“I am”), a-deirim (“I say”)) in relative clauses as a relative marker.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɔ/, /d̪ˠə/

Particle

do (triggers lenition)

(Munster, literary) relative marker (in direct relative clauses)
an cailín do mholann sé ― the girl that he praises

Usage notes

Before vowel sounds takes the form d’ and is often preceded by the reduced form a: a dh’, a d’:

an té a dh’éiríonn go moch, bíonn an rath air ― he who raises early has the prosperity; the early bird catches the worm

Etymology 3

From Old Irish do, from Proto-Celtic *do (“to, for”).

Alternative forms

d’ (used before vowel sounds)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɔ/, /d̪ˠə/
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɡə/ (as if spelled go; do and go (“to, up to, until”) have largely become conflated in this dialect)
(Ulster, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ə/, (before ⟨a/á, o/ó, u/ú⟩) /ə.ɣ-/, (before ⟨e/é, i/í⟩) /ə.j-/^[4]

Preposition

do (plus dative, triggers lenition)

to, for
do chara ― to a friend, for a friend
used with the possessive determiners mo, do, bhur to indicate the direct object of a verbal noun, in place of ag after a form of bí in the progressive aspect
Tá sé do mo ghortú. ― It’s hurting me.

Bhí sé do d’fhiafraí. ― He was inquiring about you sg.

Bhí sibh do bhur gcloí. ― You pl were being overthrown.

Inflection

Inflection of do

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	dom	domsa
2d person sing.	duit	duitse
3d sing. masc.	dó	dósan
3d sing. fem.	di	dise
1st person pl.	dúinn	dúinne
2d person pl.	daoibh	daoibhse
3d person pl.	dóibh	dóibhsean

Derived terms

Irish preposition contractions

Basic form	Contracted with							Copular forms
Basic form	an (“the sg”)	na (“the pl”)	mo (“my”)	do (“your”)	a (“his, her, their; which (present)”)	ár (“our”)	ar (“which (past)”)	(before consonant)	(present/future before vowel)	(past/conditional before vowel)
de (“from”)	den	de na desna*	de mo dem*	de do ded, det	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
do (“to, for”)	don	do na dosna*	do mo dom*	do do dod, dot	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
faoi (“under, about”)	faoin	faoi na	faoi mo	faoi do	faoina	faoinár	faoinar		faoinarb	faoinarbh
i (“in”)	sa, san	sna	i mo im*	i do id, it	ina	inár	inar		inarb	inarbh
le (“with”)	leis an	leis na	le mo lem*	le do led, let	lena	lenár	lenar		lenarb	lenarbh
ó (“from, since”)	ón	ó na ósna*	ó mo óm*	ó do ód, ót	óna	ónár	ónar		ónarb	ónarbh
trí (“through”)	tríd an	trí na	trí mo	trí do	trína	trínár	trínar		trínarb	trínarbh
*Dialectal.

Etymology 4

From Old Irish do, from Proto-Celtic *towe (“your, thy”); compare Welsh dy, Cornish dha, Breton da.

Alternative forms

d’ (used before vowel sounds)
t’ (nonstandard, used before vowel sounds)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɔ/^[5], /d̪ˠə/^[6]

Determiner

do (triggers lenition)

your (singular)
Cá bhfuil do charr?
Where is your car?

References

^ Seán Ó Catháin (1933) “Some Studies in the Development from Middle to Modern Irish, Based on the Annals of Ulster”, in Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, volume 19, number 1, →DOI, The Transition ro > do, pages 14–20
^ Liam Breatnach (1994) “An Mheán-Ghaeilge”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §§11.4–5, page 280
^ Damian McManus (1994) “An Nua-Ghaeilge Chlasaiceach”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §§7.2, 7.5, 7.16, pages 394–5, 399, 408–12
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 191, page 73
^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 173, page 88
^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 215, page 110

Italian

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

dò (rare)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/^*
Rhymes: -ɔ
Hyphenation: dò

Verb

do

first-person singular present indicative of dare

Etymology 2

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:

Do (nota)

Wikipedia ^it

Clipping of Doni, the surname of Giovanni Battista Doni. Coined in the 17th century to replace ut.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/^°, (traditional) /ˈdɔ/^*
Rhymes: -ɔ
Hyphenation: dò

Noun

do m

do (musical note)
C (musical note or key)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/^°, /ˈdɔ/^*, /ˈdɔh/, /ˈdɔʔ/
Rhymes: -ɔ, -ɔh, -ɔʔ
Hyphenation: dò

Noun

do

(archaic) Alternative form of doh

Anagrams

od

Japanese

Romanization

do

The hiragana syllable ど (do) or the katakana syllable ド (do) in Hepburn romanization.

Kashubian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/
Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: do

Preposition

do [with genitive]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
denotes purpose; for, to
until, till, to
up to, as many as
denotes a deadline; by

Related terms

prefix

do-

Ladin

Preposition

do

behind
Antonym: dant
before (time)

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *didō, from Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti, from the root *deh₃- (“give”). The reduplication was lost in Latin in the present tense, but is preserved in the other Italic languages. A root aorist (from Proto-Indo-European *déh₃t) is preserved in Venetic 𐌆𐌏𐌕𐌏 (doto); the other Italic perfect forms reflect a reduplicated stative, *dedai. However, the root aorist possibly served as the source of the Latin present forms.^[1] Cognates include Ancient Greek δίδωμι (dídōmi), Sanskrit ददाति (dádāti), Old Persian 𐎭𐎭𐎠𐎬𐎢𐎺 (d-d-a-tu-u-v).

The derivatives of dō are not always easy to distinguish from those of -dō (“put”) < *dʰeh₁-.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /doː/, [d̪oː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /do/, [d̪ɔː]

Verb

dō (present infinitive dare, perfect active dedī, supine datum); first conjugation, irregular

to give
Synonym: dōnō

Tertium non datur.
A third [possibility] is not given [the law of excluded middle].
- 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Exodus.20.12:
  Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam, ut sis longaevus super terram, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi.
  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
to impart, offer, render, present with
Synonyms: reddō, afferō
- c. 200 BCE – 190 BCE, Plautus, Captivi 3.4:
  Do tibi operam, Aristophontes, si quid est quod me velis.
  I’m at your service, Aristophontes, if there’s anything you want of me.
  (literally, “I offer labour to you, Aristophontes…”)
- 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita I.14:
  causam minus mirabilem dedit
  he rendered the circumstances less strange
- 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 5.511:
  dumque mora est, tremulā dat vīna rubentia dextrā
  And while there is a delay, with his trembling right hand he offers [them] red wine.
  (Hyrieus serves his guests, unaware that they are gods. See: Hyrieus; Orion (mythology).)
to afford, grant
Synonym: dōnō
- 44 BCE, Cicero, Philippicae 1.22.7:
  Non igitur provocatio ista lege datur, sed duae maxime salutares leges quaestionesque tolluntur. Quid est aliud hortari adulescentis ut turbulenti, ut seditiosi, ut perniciosi cives velint esse?
  It is not, therefore, a right of appeal that is afforded by that law, but two most salutary laws and modes of judicial investigation that are abolished. And what is this but exhorting young men to be turbulent, seditious, mischievous citizens?
- 44 BCE, Cicero, Philippicae 1.23.4:
  Quid, quod obrogatur legibus Cæsaris, quae iubent ei qui de vi itemque ei qui maiestatis damnatus sit aqua et igni interdici? quibus cum provocatio datur, nonne acta Cæsaris rescinduntur? Quae quidem ego, patres conscripti, qui illa numquam probavi, tamen ita conservanda concordiae causa arbitratus sum ut non modo, quas vivus leges Cæsar tulisset, infirmandas hoc tempore non putarem, sed ne illas quidem quas post mortem Cæsaris prolatas esse et fixas videtis.
  What more? Is not this a substitution of a new law for the laws of Cæsar, which enact that every man who has been convicted of violence, and also every man who has been convicted of treason, shall be interdicted from fire and water? And, when those men have a right of appeal granted them, are not the acts of Cæsar rescinded? And those acts, O conscript fathers, I, who never approved of them, have still thought it advisable to maintain for the sake of concord; so that I not only did not think that the laws which Cæsar had passed in his lifetime ought to be repealed, but I did not approve of meddling with those even which since the death of Cæsar you have seen produced and published.
to bestow, confer (on or upon)
Synonym: dōnō
to concede, surrender, yield, deliver, give up
Synonyms: dēdō, addīcō, concēdō, dēcēdō, committō, remittō, trādō, tribuō, dēferō, reddō, cēdō, permittō
to put
to adduce (e.g., a witness)

Conjugation

In Vulgar Latin, dō becomes *dao, by analogy with the root vowel -a-, but also by some elided third conjugation verbs like *vao, *vare (< vadō, vadere).

This table includes an archaic present subjunctive conjugation on a du- root that appears in the works of Plautus and Terence.

Conjugation of dō (first conjugation, irregular short a in most forms except dās and dā)
indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dō	dās	dat	damus	datis	dant, danunt
	imperfect	dabam	dabās	dabat	dabāmus	dabātis	dabant
	future	dabō	dabis	dabit	dabimus	dabitis	dabunt
	perfect	dedī	dedistī	dedit	dedimus	dedistis	dedērunt, dedēre
	pluperfect	dederam	dederās	dederat	dederāmus	dederātis	dederant
	future perfect	dederō	dederis	dederit	dederimus	dederitis	dederint
passive	present	dor	daris, dare	datur	damur	daminī	dantur
	imperfect	dabar	dabāris, dabāre	dabātur	dabāmur	dabāminī	dabantur
	future	dabor	daberis, dabere	dabitur	dabimur	dabiminī	dabuntur
	perfect	datus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	datus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	datus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	dem, duim	dēs, duās, duīs	det, duit	dēmus	dētis	dent, duint
	imperfect	darem	darēs	daret	darēmus	darētis	darent
	perfect	dederim	dederīs	dederit	dederīmus	dederītis	dederint
	pluperfect	dedissem	dedissēs	dedisset	dedissēmus	dedissētis	dedissent
passive	present	der	dēris, dēre	dētur	dēmur	dēminī	dentur
	imperfect	darer	darēris, darēre	darētur	darēmur	darēminī	darentur
	perfect	datus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	datus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	dā	—	—	date	—
active	future	—	datō	datō	—	datōte	dantō
passive	present	—	dare	—	—	daminī	—
passive	future	—	dator	dator	—	—	dantor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		dare	dedisse	datūrum esse	darī	datum esse	datum īrī
participles		dāns	—	datūrus	—	datus	dandus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		dandī	dandō	dandum	dandō	datum	datū

Derived terms

Descendants

Aragonese: dar
Aromanian: dau, dari
Asturian: dar
Corsican: dà
Dalmatian: dur
Emilian: dèr
Friulian: dâ
Istriot: dà
Interlingua: dar
Istro-Romanian: dåu
Ladin: dé, dèr
Ligurian: dâ
Lombard: da, daa
Navarro-Aragonese: dar
- Aragonese: dar
Neapolitan: dà
Italian: dare
Old Leonese: dar
- Asturian: dar
- Leonese: dar
- Mirandese: dar
Old Galician-Portuguese: dar
- Fala: dal
- Galician: dar
- Portuguese: dar
  - Angolar: ra
  - Annobonese: da
  - Guinea-Bissau Creole: da
  - Indo-Portuguese: dá
  - Kabuverdianu: da
  - Korlai Creole Portuguese: da
  - Macanese: dâ, dá
  - Kristang: da
  - Principense: da
  - Sãotomense: da
  - Saramaccan: dá
Old Occitan: dar
- Occitan: dar
- Old Catalan: dar
  - Catalan: dar
Old Spanish: dar
- Extremaduran: dal
- Ladino: dar
- Spanish: dar
  - Chavacano: dale
Piedmontese: dé
Romagnol: dê
Romanian: da, dare
Romansch: dar, der
Sabir: dar, dara
Sardinian: dàe, dai, dare
Sicilian: dari, rari
Tarantino: dare
Venetan: dar

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Laz

Conjunction

do

Latin spelling of დო (do)

Ligurian

Alternative forms

dro (obsolete)

Etymology

de +‎ o

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /du/

Contraction

do

of the (masculine singular)

Limburgish

Etymology 1

Derived from Old High German doret. Compare German dort.

Alternative forms

da (Eupen)
dao (widespread variant)
dooe (Krefeld)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔː/
Hyphenation: do
Rhymes: -ɔː

Adverb

do

(Eupen, local) there, yonder
(Eupen, temporal) at that time (in the past); at the time, then
(Eupen) then, after that

Etymology 2

Unstressed form of dou.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
Hyphenation: do
Rhymes: -oː

Pronoun

do

(Eupen) Reduced form of dou (“you”)

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔ/

Preposition

do (with genitive)

to, into
do Chóśebuza ― to Cottbus

do jsy ― to the village, into the village

do wognja ― into the fire

do njebja ― to heaven
- 1998, Erwin Hannusch, Niedersorbisch praktisch und verständlich, Bauzten: Domowina, →ISBN, page 30:
  Jana chójźi hyšći do šule, wóna jo wuknica.
  Jana still goes to school; she is a schoolgirl.

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/, [doː]
- Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *þar.

Adverb

do

there, in that place

Etymology 2

Verb

do

second-person singular imperative of doen

Nias

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daʀaq, from Proto-Austronesian *daʀaq. Compare Malay darah, Ilocano dara.

Noun

do (mutated form ndro)

blood

References

Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 52.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Possibly an abbreviation of "do-hūs" ("do house") from Middle Low German dōn.

Noun

do m or n (definite singular doen or doet, indefinite plural doer or do, definite plural doene or doa)

a toilet, a loo
Synonyms: dass, toalett

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

do m

do (the musical note)

References

“do” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Possibly an abbreviation of "do-hūs" ("do house") from Middle Low German dōn.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /duː/

Noun

do m or n (definite singular doen or doet, indefinite plural doar or do, definite plural doane or doa)

a toilet, a loo
Synonyms: dass, toalett

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þó.

Adverb

do

anyhow, still, nevertheless

Etymology 3

From the name of musicologist Giovanni Battista Doni, who suggested replacing the original ut with an open syllable for ease of singing. First found in Italian.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
Homophone: då

Noun

do m (definite singular do-en, indefinite plural do-ar, definite plural do-ane)

(music) do, a syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale.

Coordinate terms

(scale of solfège): do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do

Etymology 4

Verb

do

(non-standard since 1917) past singular of døy

References

“do” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

od

Old Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈdo/
IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈdo/

Preposition

do [with genitive]

Denotes allative movement; to, toward
Denotes illative movement; into, in
Denotes length of time; to, until
Denotes final period of time; by
Denotes period before something else; before; by
according to, in agreeance with
Denotes recepient of action; to
regarding
up to, as many as
Denotes purpose; for, to
because of

Descendants

Czech: do

References

Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “do”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old English

Verb

dō

inflection of dōn:
1. first-person singular present indicative
2. singular present subjunctive

Old Galician-Portuguese

Contraction

do m sg (plural dos, feminine da, feminine plural das)

Contraction of de o (“of the, from the, -'s (masculine singular)”).

Old Irish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *dū (“to”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Unrelated to the prefix to-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [do]

Preposition

do (with dative; triggers lenition of a following consonant-initial noun)

to, for
indicates the subject of a verbal noun
- c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 97^d10
  Is peccad díabul lesom .i. fodord doïb di dommatu, ⁊ du·fúairthed ní leu fora sáith din main, ⁊ todlugud inna féulæ ɔ amairis nánda·tibérad Día doïb, ⁊ nach coimnacuir ⁊ issi dano insin ind frescissiu co fochaid.
  It is a double sin in his opinion, i.e. the murmuring by them of want, although there remained some of the manna with them upon their satiety, and demanding the meat with faithlessness that Good would not give it to them, and [even] that he could not; therefore that is the expectation with testing.

Inflection

Inflection of do

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	dom, dam	domsa, damsa
2d person sing.	duit, dait, d(e)it	duitsiu, de(i)tsiu, duitso, détso
3d sing. masc./neut., dative	dó(u), dáu	dos(s)om
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative
3d sing. fem., dative	dí	dis(s)i
3d sing. fem., accusative
1st person pl.	dún(n), duún, dúun, dúin	dúnn(a)i
2d person pl.	dúib	dúibsi
3d person pl., dative	do(a)ib, duaib, dóib	doïbsom, doaibsem, dóibsem
3d person pl., accusative

Combinations with a definite article:

don(d), dun(d) (“to/for the sg”)
donaib, dunaib (“to/for the pl”)

Combinations with a possessive determiner:

dom (“to/for my”)
dot (“to/for your sg”)
dia (“to/for his/her/their”)
diar (“to/for our”)

Combinations with a relative pronoun:

dia· (“to/for whom/which”)

Alternative forms

du

Pronoun

do

Alternative spelling of dó

Adverb

do

Alternative spelling of dó

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *towe.

Alternative forms

du, tho, to
t’, th’ (before a vowel)

Determiner

do (triggers lenition)

your (singular)

Descendants

Middle Irish: do
- Irish: do
- Scottish Gaelic: do
- Manx: dty

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *do. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /dɔ/
IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /dɔ/

Preposition

do [with genitive]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
Synonym: ku
until
Synonym: ku
denotes a deadline; by
denotes duration; within
denotes purpose; for
denotes the subject of an address or action;

Descendants

Polish: do
Silesian: do, dō (before nasals)

References

B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “do”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Old Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/

Etymology 1

From de +‎ o, from Latin dē (“from”) + ubi (“where”).

Adverb

do

where

Conjunction

do

where

Etymology 2

See lemma.

Verb

do

first-person singular present of dar

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German da.

Adverb

do

here
Heit iss en Feierdaag do in Amerikaa.
Today is a holiday here in America.

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/

(Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/

Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: do

Preposition

do [with genitive]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
Synonym: (sometimes) na

Zwykle jeżdżę do pracy pociągiem. ― I usually go to work by train.

Chcę wrócić do domu. ― I want to go home. (literally, “I want to return to home.”)
denotes illative movement; into, in
Proszę włożyć mleko do lodówki. ― Please put the milk in the fridge.
denotes purpose; for, to
Zapomniałem szczoteczki do zębów. ― I forgot my toothbrush (literally, “I forgot brush for teeth.”)

Masz ochotę na coś do picia? ― Do you fancy something to drink?
denotes the subject of an address or action; to
Napisałam do ciebie list. ― I wrote you a letter.

Szymon w każdą sobotę dzwoni do mamy. ― Simon calls his mother every Saturday.
until, till, to
Do zeszłego miesiąca mieszkałem całe życie w Łodzi. ― Until last month I had lived in Łódź my entire life.

Pracujemy od dziewiątej do piątej. ― We work from nine to five.
up to, as many as
Grozi mu do sześciu lat więzienia. ― He could get up to six years' imprisonment.

Nasz syn ma tylko pięć lat, a już umie liczyć do stu. ― Our son is only five and can already count to 100.
denotes a deadline; by (indicates an intended deadline)
Mój szef chce, żebym do jutra skończył raport. ― My boss wants me to finish the report by tomorrow.

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), do is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 1245 times in scientific texts, 1326 times in news, 1088 times in essays, 1260 times in fiction, and 935 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 5854 times, making it the 9th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.^[1]

References

^ Ida Kurcz (1990) “do”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 76

Portuguese

Alternative forms

d'o (dated)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese do, from de (“of, from”) + o (“the”). Akin to Galician do, Spanish del, and French du.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /du/

(Madeira) IPA^(key): /dø/
Hyphenation: do

Contraction

do m sg (plural dos, feminine da, feminine plural das)

Contraction of de o (“of the, from the, -'s (masculine singular)”).

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:do.

Romanian

Etymology

From Italian do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /do/

Noun

do m (plural do)

do (musical note)

Declension

Declension of do

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) do	doul	(niște) do	doi
genitive/dative	(unui) do	doului	(unor) do	dolor
vocative	doule		dolor

Saterland Frisian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
Hyphenation: do
Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Cognates include West Frisian de and German die.

Article

do (unstressed de)

plural of die

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian thā, from Proto-Germanic *þan. Cognates include West Frisian dan and German dann.

Adverb

do

then

References

Marron C. Fort (2015) “die”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN
Marron C. Fort (2015) “do”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (stressed) /t̪ɔ/, (unstressed) /t̪ə/
Hyphenation: do

Etymology 1

From Old Irish do. Cognates include Irish do.

Determiner

do (triggers lenition)

thy, your (singular)
Bha iongantach do ghràdh dhomh. ― Wonderful was thy love for me.

Etymology 2

From Old Irish do. Cognates include Irish do.

Preposition

do (+ dative, triggers lenition of consonants and Dh-prothesis of vowels, combined with the singular definite article dhan)

to
Bha e a' siubhal do Shasainn an-uiridh. ― He travelled to England last year.
for
Do dh'ar beatha, dhut, dhèanainn e. ― For our life, for thee, I would do it.

Usage notes

Before a word beginning with a vowel or fh, the form do dh' may be used:
Tha sinn a' dol do dh'Ìle. ― We are going to Islay.
If the definite article in the singular follows, it combines with do into dhan or don:
Fàilte don dùthaich. ― Welcome to the country.

Tha mi a' dol dhan bhùth. ― I'm going to the shop.

Inflection

Personal inflection of do
Number	Person	Simple	Emphatic
Singular	1st	dhomh	dhòmhsa
	2nd	dhut	dhutsa
	3rd m	dha	dhàsan
	3rd f	dhi	dhìse
Plural	1st	dhuinn	dhuinne
	2nd	dhuibh	dhuibhse
	3rd	dhaibh	dhaibhsan

Synonyms

a

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From Middle Irish ro-, from Old Irish ro-, from Proto-Celtic *ɸro-.

Particle

do (triggers lenition)

indicates the past tense of a verb
An do sgrìobh thu litir? ― Did you write a letter?

Cha do bhrist mi an uinneag. ― I didn't break the window.

Usage notes

Becomes dh' before a word beginning with a vowel or a lenited fh followed by a vowel.
Dh'fhàg an t-òran brònach mi. ― The song made me sad.

Dh'òl e am pinnt. ― He drank the pint.

An do dh'innis mi thu mar-thà. ― Did I not already tell you.
Usually omitted before a consonant except after particles such as an, cha etc.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *do, from Proto-Indo-European *de, *do.

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)
IPA^(key): /dô/

Adverb

dȍ (Cyrillic spelling до̏)

only, except
ni(t)ko do ja ― nobody but me, only me

ne jede ništa do komad hljeba/hleba ― he eats nothing except a piece of bread
around, approximately
do dva metra ― around two meters

do 5 kila ― around five kilograms
due to, because of
to je do hrane ― that's due to the food

Preposition

dȍ (Cyrillic spelling до̏) (+ genitive case)

up to, to, until, as far as, by
od Zagreba do Beograda ― from Zagreb to Belgrade

od jutra do mraka / od 5 do 10 sati ― from morning to night / from 5 to 10 o'clock

od vrha do dna ― from top to bottom

do r(ij)eke ― as far as the river

sad je pet do sedam ― now it's five minutes to seven

do poned(j)eljka ― by Monday

do sada ― so far, thus far, till now

do nedavna ― until recently

do dana današnjega ― to this very day

sve do ― as far as up to, all the way to

do kuda ― how far

do tuda ― thus far, up to here
before (= prȉje/prȅ)
do rata ― before the war
beside, next (to)
s(j)edi do mene ― sit next to me

jedan do drugoga ― side by side
(by extension, idiomatic and figurative meanings) up to one; interested in; feel like
nije mi do toga ― I don't feel like doing that

nije mi do sm(ij)eha ― I don't feel like laughing

njemu je samo do seksa ― he is only interested in sex

nije mi puno stalo do toga ― I'm not very much interested in that

nije do mene ― it's not up to me, it's no me to lame

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dolъ.

Alternative forms

dȏl

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dôː/

Noun

dȏ m (Cyrillic spelling до̑)

(regional, Bosnia, Serbia) dale, small valley

Declension

Declension of do

	singular	plural
nominative	dȏ	dòlovi/dȏli
genitive	dȍla	dolova/dola
dative	dolu	dolovima/dolima
accusative	do	dolove/dole
vocative	dole	dolovi/doli
locative	dolu	dolovima/dolima
instrumental	dolom	dolovima/dolima

Derived terms

dolìna

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Italian do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dôː/

Noun

dȏ m (Cyrillic spelling до̑) (indeclinable)

(music) do

References

“do”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
“do”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
“do”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Silesian

Alternative forms

dō (before nasals)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/
Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: do

Preposition

do [with genitive]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
Synonyms: ku, w
denotes maximum amount; to
until, till, to
denotes purpose; for, to
denotes benefactive beneficent; for
Synonym: dlŏ
denotes recepient of action; to
Synonym: dlŏ

Related terms

prefix

do-

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔ/
Audio: (file)

Preposition

do [with genitive]

into, in, to, until

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔ/

Preposition

do

(with genitive) by (some time before the given time)
(with genitive) till

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdo/ [ˈd̪o]
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification: do

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian do.

Noun

do m (plural dos)

do (musical note)
C (musical note or key)

Etymology 2

From Old Spanish do, from de (“from”) + o (“where”).

Adverb

do

(obsolete) where
Synonym: (modern) donde

Pronoun

do

(obsolete) where
Synonym: (modern) donde

Derived terms

Taworta

Noun

do

fire

Turkish

Noun

do

C (musical note)

Venetan

Verb

do

first-person singular present indicative of dar (“I give”)

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 由.

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zɔ˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [jɔ˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [jɔ˧˧]
Homophone: gio
Audio (Hà Nội): (file)
Audio (Saigon): (file)

Preposition

do

(neutral passive voice marker) by
Hầu hết các mô hình dưỡng lão đều do nhà nước bảo trợ, […]
Most of the aged care models are sponsored by the state, […]
because of; due to

Related terms

(passive voice marker) bị (negative), được (positive)

Volapük

Conjunction

do

though, although, even though

Welsh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *tod, from Proto-Indo-European *tód (“that”).

Adverb

do

yes
indeed
Do, es i i'r parc ddoe.
Yes, I went to the park yesterday.

Usage notes

Used to express an affirmative answer to verbs in the preterite (simple past) tense.
- In colloquial speech it can sometimes be heard as an answer to any question referring to the past (such as those in the perfect or pluperfect), but this is considered nonstandard.

Antonyms

naddo

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

da (colloquial)
deuaf, dof (literary)

Verb

do

first-person singular future colloquial of dod

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
do	ddo	no	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Etymology 3

Noun

do

Soft mutation of to.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
to	do	nho	tho
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

West Frisian

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian thū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /də/

Pronoun

do

(Clay) you, thou; informal second-person singular pronoun
Ik hâld fan dy. ― I love you.

Inflection

West Frisian personal pronouns

Number	Person		Nominative	Objective		Possessive
Number	Person		Nominative	Normal	Reflexive	Determiner	Pronoun
Singular	First		ik	my	mysels	myn	mines
	Second	Informal	do/dû¹	dy	dysels	dyn	dines
	Second	Formal	jo	jo	josels	jo	jowes
	Third	Masculine	hy	him	himsels	syn	sines
		Feminine	sy/hja¹	har	harsels	har	harres
		Neuter	it	it	himsels	syn	sines
Plural	First		wy	ús	ússels	ús	uzes
	Second		jim(me)	jim(me)	jimsels/jinsels	jim(me)	jimmes
	Third		sy/hja¹	har(ren)	harsels	har(ren)	harres
^1. Now mostly archaic and unused

Alternative forms

dû (Wood)

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian *dūve, from Proto-West Germanic *dūbā.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/

Noun

do c (plural dowen, diminutive doke)

pigeon, dove

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Italian do.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doː/

Noun

do c (plural do's)

do (musical note)

West Makian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪o/

Verb

do

Conjugation

Conjugation of do (action verb)
		singular	plural
		singular	inclusive	exclusive
1st person		todo	modo	ado
2nd person		nodo	fodo
3rd person	inanimate	ido	dodo
3rd person	animate	ido	dodo
imperative		nodo, do	fodo, do

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[22], Pacific linguistics

Yoruba

Etymology 1

From do used in solfège to represent the first tonic of a major scale.

Alternative forms

(abbreviated): D, d

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dò/

Noun

dò

The syllable used to represent the low-tone and its diacritic (`)
Ẹ bá mi fàmì sí "pàtàkì"
pà-tà-kì dò-dò-dò
Help me tone mark "pàtàkì"
pà-tà-kì low-tone, low-tone, low-tone

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dó/

Verb

dó

(vulgar) to fuck

Derived terms

proverbs

bí olókó ńlá bá dóni, gbíngbin làá gbin

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dó/

Verb

dó

(transitive) to settle; to found a settlement
Synonym: tẹ̀ dó

Àwọn Àwórì ló kọ́kọ́ dó sí Èkó. ― The Awori people settled Lagos first.
(transitive) to colonise

Derived terms

Zazaki

Etymology

Related to Persian (duğ) and Tajik дуғ (duġ).

Noun

do

airan

Zoogocho Zapotec

Noun

do

mecate, rope made of maguey or hair fiber

References

Long C., Rebecca, Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38)‎^[23] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 367

[Langer-1] Langer, Nils (2001) Linguistic Purism in Action: How auxiliary tun was stigmatized in Early New High German‎^[1], de Gruyter, →ISBN

[2] John McWhorter (2009) “What else happened to English? A brief for the Celtic hypothesis”, in English language & linguistics, volume 13, number 2, Cambridge: University Press, pages 163-191

[3] “The O'Connell National Statue”, in The Freeman's Journal‎^[2], Dublin, 1862 October 23, page 2

[4] Seán Ó Catháin (1933) “Some Studies in the Development from Middle to Modern Irish, Based on the Annals of Ulster”, in Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, volume 19, number 1, →DOI, The Transition ro > do, pages 14–20

[5] Liam Breatnach (1994) “An Mheán-Ghaeilge”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §§11.4–5, page 280

[6] Damian McManus (1994) “An Nua-Ghaeilge Chlasaiceach”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §§7.2, 7.5, 7.16, pages 394–5, 399, 408–12

[7] Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 191, page 73

[8] Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 173, page 88

[9] Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 215, page 110

[10] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

[11] Ida Kurcz (1990) “do”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 76

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[2]

[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

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[5]

[6]

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[1]

Number	Person (and gender)	Conjunctive (emphatic)	Disjunctive (emphatic)	Possessive determiner
Singular	First	mé (mise)		mo ^L m' before vowel sounds
	Second	tú (tusa)¹	thú (thusa)	do ^L d' before vowel sounds
	Third masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a ^L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a ^H
	Third neuter	—	ea	—
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár ^E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)¹		bhur ^E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a ^E

	Singular		Plural
	+ C	+ V	+ C	+ V
First person	mo^L	m'	ar	ar^N
Second person	do^L	d'	ur	ur^N
Third person m	a^L	—	an, am¹⁾	an
Third person f	a	a^H	an, am¹⁾	an
^L Triggers lenition; ^H Triggers H-prothesis; ^N Triggers eclipsis; ¹⁾ Used before b-, f-, m- or p-