do
To perform or carry out an action; to bring about.
Etymology
From Old English dōn "to do, make, act," from Proto-Germanic *dōną, probably from PIE *dʰeh₁- "to put, place, make," though the connection is not universally accepted. In English it became the all-purpose verb "do" and also "deed." The PIE root *dʰeh₁- more securely gives Latin facere "to make" (through a suffixed form), yielding "fact," "factory," "fashion," and many more.
The Journey: *dʰeh₁- → do
*dʰeh₁-
*dōną
dōn
do
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *dʰeh₁-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | títhēmi (I place) |
| Latin | facere (to make) |
| Russian | detĭ (to put) |
| Sanskrit | dádhāti (places) |
| Old Irish | do-ní (does) |
| Lithuanian | dė́ti (to put) |
Did You Know?
English "do" and "deed" probably share a root with Latin facere "to make" — which gives us "fact," "factory," "fashion," "face," "facility," and dozens more English words. The connection is widely accepted but not beyond dispute.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.