doen

Forms

doen^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch doen, inherited from Old Dutch duon, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *dōn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *dōną (“to do, to put”).^[2][1] The same verb is Old Saxon dōn, Old High German tuon (modern German tun), Old Frisian duān (modern West Frisian dwaan) and Old English dōn (modern English do).^[2][3][4]

The present continues the o-grade of Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to place”);^[2][4] Kroonen notes that this o-grade is found only in Germanic.^[2][4] Other languages built a reduplicated present on the root: Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”) and Sanskrit दधाति (dádhāti, “he puts”).^[2][4] The root also underlies Latin faciō (“to make, do”), whose /f/ comes from /dʰ/, and Old Church Slavonic дѣти (děti, “to lay”).^[2][3] The e-grade appears in daad and in the participle gedaan.^[2][5]

The past tense deed, Middle Dutch dede, Old Dutch deda, keeps the old reduplication.^[2][3] The EWN still thinks it very likely that the ⟨-de⟩ of the Germanic weak past tense comes from the past tense of this verb, *dedō.^[2]

The verb is typical of West Germanic.^[6] North Germanic lost it apart from the noun Old Norse dáð (“deed”) and uses gøra instead, a verb related to gaar;^[2][3] Gothic has only the noun 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌴𐌸𐍃 (gadēþs, “deed”) and says 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan) as its verb of doing, which probably first meant adorning (compare tooien).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oudnederlands Woordenboek's oldest record is a past tense on a comb from Oostum (791–891), ælb kabu deda habuku “Alf made a comb for Habuk”, in the sense “to make”.^[7][2] The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century use duon for “to carry out, do”, and Middle Dutch doen is recorded from about 1220–1240.^[7][8][6]

Semantic evolution

Already in Old Dutch duon could mean “to do, make, put” and also served to form causative verbs.^[7][1] The infinitive was used as a noun meaning “action” (1525), “way of acting” (1579) and “conduct”;^[9] iemands doen en laten, all of a person's behaviour, is recorded in 1642.^[9] In goeden doen first described a person's state of health (1584); for in goeden doen zijn “to be well off” Van Veen and Van der Sijs read the noun as “business”.^[9][10] The phrase van doen hebben “to need” is a blend of te doen hebben and van node hebben.^[10] Zo gezegd, zo gedaan “no sooner said than done” is recorded in 1793.^[9]

In Belgium causative doen (iemand doen lachen) is commoner than in the Netherlands, where outside formal language laten is usual.^[11] De Vreese in 1899 condemned several Belgian uses as gallicisms copied from French faire: het doet niets “it does not matter”, een bezoek doen and fouten doen.^[12] The sense “to see a place quickly”, as a tourist does, follows English to do.^[13] In Brabant doen is also an empty auxiliary in sentences that have no other.^[1]

The verb went abroad with Dutch: it gave Negerhollands doe, du, Berbice Dutch dun and Afrikaans doen, Sranan Tongo du (from Dutch or English), and Swedish don “gear”, from Dutch or Low German.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 791–891 – A comb from Oostum has the past tense deda “made”.^[7][2]
• 901–1000 – Old Dutch duon is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[8]
• c. 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch doen is first recorded.^[6]
• 1525 – The noun doen “action” is recorded.^[9]
• 1642 – Doen en laten “conduct” is recorded.^[9]
• 1793 – Zo gezegd, zo gedaan is recorded.^[9]
• 1899 – De Vreese lists een bezoek doen among Belgian gallicisms.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To act, to behave: Hij doet de laatste tijd erg vreemd.^[15][1]
2. (intransitive) Stands for a verb already mentioned: Zij las meer dan ik ooit deed.^[15]
3. (transitive) To do, carry out an action: huiswerk doen.^[15][1]
4. (transitive) To put somewhere or into a state: Doe de sleutels maar in de la.^[15][1]
5. (transitive) To make someone feel or undergo something: Die brief deed haar veel verdriet.^[15]
6. (transitive) To cost: Wat doen de aardbeien vandaag?^[15][11]
7. (transitive) To clean: de ramen doen.^[15]
8. (transitive) To see a place quickly, as a tourist: Ze deden Rome in twee dagen.^[15][13]
9. (auxiliary) To make something happen, to cause, with an infinitive: Dat bericht deed hem twijfelen.^[15][1]

Noun

1. Conduct, way of acting; in doen en laten a person's whole behaviour;^[9][10][11] in goeden doen zijn, to be well off.^[9][10][11]

Word family

• daad
• gedoe
• dooddoener
• doenbaar
• doenlijk
• ongedaan
• zodoende
• doener
• doevakantie
• genoegdoening
• aandoen
• afdoen
• gedaan
• voldoen

Related words

• maken
• English do
• German tun

Usage notes

In Middle Dutch doe and doen was also the adverb and conjunction “then, when”, recorded in Limburg around 1200; modern toen arose from it.^[16][17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 105
7. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b c d Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
11. ^ a b c d WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
12. ^ a b Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer
13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
16. ^ Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
17. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org