Advertisement

Origin and history of done

done

past participle of do (v.); from Old English past participle gedon (a vestige of the prefix is in ado). As a past-participle adjective meaning "completed, finished, performed, accomplished" from early 15c. As a word of acceptance of a deal or wager, 1590s.

U.S. Southern use of done in phrases such as done gone (or "Octopots done got Albert!") is attested by 1827, according to OED: "a perfective auxiliary or with adverbial force in the sense 'already; completely.' " Century Dictionary writes that it was "originally causal after have or had, followed by an object infinitive ; in present use the have or had is often omitted and the infinitive turned into a preterit, leaving done as a mere preterit sign" and calls it "a characteristic of negro idiom."

To be done in "exhausted" is by 1917. Slang done for "doomed" is by 1803 (colloquial do for "ruin, damage" is from 1740). To have done it "to have been very foolish, made a mess of things" is from 1837.

Entries linking to done

ado(n.)

late 14c., "conflict, fighting; difficulty, trouble," a contraction of at do, literally "to do," a dialectal formation in the Norse-influenced areas of northern England: some Scandinavian languages used at with the infinitive of a verb where Modern English uses to.

From use of the infinitive in much ado ("much to do") and similar phrases, ado came to be regarded as a noun. Compare the sense evolution in to-do and affair (from French infinitive phrase à faire "to do"). The weakened meaning "fuss" is from early 15c. Also used in Middle English for "dealings, traffic," and "sexual intercourse" (both c. 1400).

do(v.)

"perform, execute, achieve, carry out, bring to pass by procedure of any kind," etc., Middle English do, first person singular of Old English don "make, act, perform, cause; to put, to place," from West Germanic *doanan (source also of Old Saxon duan, Old Frisian dwa, Dutch doen, Old High German tuon, German tun), from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put, place."

Use as an auxiliary began in Middle English. Sense of "to put, place, lay" is obsolete except in phrases such as do away with. Periphrastic form in negative sentences (They did not think) replaced the Old English negative particles (Hie ne wendon).

Meaning "visit as a tourist" is from 1817. In old slang it meant "to hoax, cheat, swindle" (1640s). Slang meaning "to do the sex act with or to" is from 1913.

Slang do in "bring disaster upon, kill" is by 1905. To have to do with "have concern or connection with" is from late 13c. To do without "dispense with" is from 1713. Expression do or die indicating determination to succeed despite dangers or obstacles is attested from 1620s.

Compare does, did, done.

Advertisement

More to explore

through
late 14c., metathesis of Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *thurx (source also of Old Saxon thuru, Old Frisian thruch, Middle Dutch dore, Dutch door, Old High German thuruh, German durch, Gothic þairh "through"), from PIE root *tere- (2) "to cross over, pass through, overcome
truism
What is right ought to be done ; since the right is definable as that which ought to be done, this means What ought to be...done ought to be done, i.e., it is a disguised identical proposition, or a truism....
facility
First in a medical book: If it be nede forto smyte [the head] wiþ a malle, be it done with esynez or facilite [transl....Grande Chirurgie"] Its sense in English expanded to "opportunity" (1510s), to "aptitude, ease, quality of being easily done...of journalists and fuzzy writers, first recorded 1872, via notion of "physical means by which (something) can be easily done...
practic
praktikē "of or pertaining to actions, concerned with action or business"(as opposed to "theoretical"); fem. of praktikos "done...; to be done" (see practical)....
remunerate
1520s, "to recompense, pay (someone) for work done or services rendered," usually in a good sense, back-formation from remuneration...The sense of "reward or pay for services rendered or work done" is by 1580s. Of things, "to recompense," by 1849....
deed
"that which is done, acted, or performed, whether good or bad, great or small," Old English dæd "a doing, act, action; transaction...Saxon dad, Old Norse dað, Old Frisian dede, Middle Dutch daet, Dutch daad, Old High German tat, German Tat "deed, thing done...," Gothic gadeþs "a putting, placing"), from PIE *dheti- "thing laid down or done; law; deed" (source also of Lithuanian...
works
Old English, "(someone's) deeds, acts, or actions, the things one has done in life," often especially "good deeds, acts of...To be in the works in the extended sense of "in the process of being done or made" is by 1973....
arrange
late 14c., arengen, "draw up a line of battle," from Old French arengier "put in a row, put in battle order" (12c., Modern French arranger), from a- "to" (see ad-) + rangier "set in a row" (Modern French ranger), from rang "rank," from Frankish *hring or a similar Germanic source
render
late 14c., rendren, rendre, "repeat, say again, recite; translate," from Old French rendre "give back, present, yield" (10c.) and Medieval Latin rendere, from Vulgar Latin *rendere, a variant of Latin reddere "give back, return, restore," from red- "back" (see re-) + combining fo
influence
late 14c., an astrological term, "streaming ethereal power from the stars when in certain positions, acting upon character or destiny of men," from Old French influence "emanation from the stars that acts upon one's character and destiny" (13c.), also "a flow of water, a flowing

Share done

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near done
Advertisement