don

See also: Appendix:Variations of "don"

English

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /dɑn/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɒn/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɒn
Homophones: Don, dawn (with cot-caught merger)

Etymology 1

From Latin dominus (“lord, head of household”), akin to Italian don, Sicilian don, Spanish don; from domus (“house”). Doublet of dom, domine, dominie, and dominus.

Noun

don (plural dons)

A university professor, particularly one at Oxford or Cambridge.
- 1859–1861, [Thomas Hughes], chapter I, in Tom Brown at Oxford: […], part 1st, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, published 1861, OCLC 2753050, page 12:
  No one feeds at the high table except the dons and the gentlemen-commoners, who are undergraduates in velvet caps and silk gowns[.]
- 1876, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XVI, in Daniel Deronda, volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, OCLC 775411, book II (Meeting Streams), page 321:
  The truth is, unless a man can get the prestige and income of a Don and write donnish books, it’s hardly worth while for him to make a Greek and Latin machine of himself and be able to spin you out pages of the Greek dramatists at any verse you’ll give him as a cue.
An employee of a university residence who lives among the student residents.
A mafia boss.
(MLE) Any man, bloke, dude.
- 2017 October 31, Loski (lyrics and music), “Olympic Chinging”‎, from 1:55:
  I’m confused like who’s this don
  .22 bells and that who’s on

Derived terms

donnish
donny (“bloke”)

Related terms

donzel

Translations

professor — see professor

mafia boss

Chinese:
Mandarin: 老大 (zh) (lǎodà)
Dutch: maffiabaas (nl) m
Finnish: mafiapomo, don (fi)
Italian: don (it) m
Japanese: ドン (ja) (don)
Norwegian: mafiatopp m
Russian: паха́н (ru) m (paxán), па́хан (ru) m (páxan), дон (ru) m (don) (foreign context)
Ukrainian: дон (uk) m (don)

Etymology 2

From Middle English don (“to put on”), from Old English dōn on. Compare also doff, dup, dout.

Verb

don (third-person singular simple present dons, present participle donning, simple past and past participle donned)

(transitive) To put on clothing; to dress (oneself) in an article of personal attire.
To don one's clothes.
- 1886-88, Burton, Richard Francis, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:
  Now when he had reached the King's capital wherein was Alaeddin, he alighted at one of the Kháns; and, when he had rested from the weariness of wayfare, he donned his dress and went down to wander about the streets, where he never passed a group without hearing them prate about the pavilion and its grandeur and vaunt the beauty of Alaeddin and his lovesomeness, his liberality and generosity, his fine manners and his good morals.
- 2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 41:
  Having donned our PPE, we walk through the site to the prefab that controls access to the tunnel.
Synonyms: put on, clothe, dight, enrobe; see also Thesaurus:clothe
Antonym: doff

Derived terms

donner

Translations

put on clothes

Bashkir: кейеү (keyew)
Bulgarian: обличам (bg) (obličam), навличам (bg) (navličam)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 穿上 (zh) (chuānshang)
Czech: obléci si pf, vzít si na sebe pf, nasadit si pf
Dutch: aantrekken (nl), zich (nl) uitdossen (nl)
Esperanto: surmeti
Finnish: pukeutua (fi), sonnustautua (fi), pukea ylleen
French: mettre (fr), enfiler (fr), revêtir (fr)
German: anziehen (de)
Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌼𐍉𐌽 (gahamōn)
Hungarian: felvesz (hu), ölt (hu), felölt (hu)
Ido: metar (io)
Italian: mettere (it), indossare (it), portare (it)
Japanese: please add this translation if you can
Latin: induo
Norwegian: ta på (no)
Bokmål: ta på seg, bære (no) (helmet, hat, mask etc.)
Polish: ubierać (pl), zakładać (pl), wkładać (pl)
Portuguese: vestir (pt)
Russian: надева́ть (ru) (nadevátʹ), наде́ть (ru) (nadétʹ)
Sanskrit: प्रवस्ते (pravaste)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: обла́чити impf, о̀бӯћи pf, одије́вати impf, о̀дјенути pf
Roman: obláčiti (sh) impf, òbūći (sh) pf, odijévati (sh) impf, òdjenuti (sh) pf
Slovene: obleči, nadeti
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} ponerse (es), ^{(please verify)} vestirse de
Swedish: ikläda sig, ta på sig (sv)
Thai: ใส่ (th) (sài)
Ukrainian: одягати (uk) (odjahaty), надягати (uk) (nadjahaty)
Vietnamese: mặc (vi)

Anagrams

NOD, ODN, nod

Albanian

Alternative forms

do (Standard Albanian)

Etymology

Gheg variant of Standard Albanian do (“(it) wants, needs, loves, likes”) and do (“you want, need, love, like”).

Verb

don (first-person singular past tense dashta, participle dashtë) (Gheg forms)

you want, need
A don më shkue? (Gheg) ― Do you want to go?
you like
Rita e don Gjergjin. (Gheg) ― Rita likes/wants George.
you love
it wants, needs
it likes
it loves

Conjugation

Standard Albanian conjugation:

Standard Albanian conjugation of don (active voice)

		singular (njëjës)			plural (shumës)
participle (pjesore)			dashur
gerund (përcjellore)			duke dashur
infinitive (paskajore)			për të dashur
		1st pers. (veta e 1rë)	2nd pers. (veta e 2të)	3rd pers. (veta e 3të)	1st pers. (veta e 1rë)	2nd pers. (veta e 2të)	3rd pers. (veta e 3të)
indicative (dëftore)		unë	ti	ai/ajo	ne	ju	ata/ato
	present (e tashme)	dua	do	do	duam	doni	duan
	imperfect (e pakryer)	doja	doje	donte	donim	donit	donin
	aorist (simple past) (e kryer e thjeshtë)	desha	deshe	deshi	deshëm	deshët	deshën
	perfect (e kryer)	kam dashur	ke dashur	ka dashur	kemi dashur	keni dashur	kanë dashur
	past perfect (më se e kryer)	kisha dashur	kishe dashur	kishte dashur	kishim dashur	kishit dashur	kishin dashur
	aorist II (past perfect II) (e kryer e tejshkuar)	pata dashur	pate dashur	pati dashur	patëm dashur	patët dashur	patën dashur
	future¹ (e ardhme)	do të dua	do të duash	do të dojë	do të duam	do të doni	do të duan
	future perfect² (e ardhme e përparme)	do të kem dashur	do të kesh dashur	do të ketë dashur	do të kemi dashur	do të keni dashur	do të kenë dashur

subjunctive (lidhore)		unë	ti	ai/ajo	ne	ju	ata/ato
	present (e tashme)	të dua	të duash	të dojë	të duam	të doni	të duan
	imperfect (e pakryer)	të doja	të doje	të donte	të donim	të donit	të donin
	perfect (e kryer)	të kem dashur	të kesh dashur	të ketë dashur	të kemi dashur	të keni dashur	të kenë dashur
	past perfect (më se e kryer)	të kisha dashur	të kishe dashur	të kishte dashur	të kishim dashur	të kishit dashur	të kishin dashur

conditional¹^,² (kushtore)		unë	ti	ai/ajo	ne	ju	ata/ato
	imperfect (e pakryer)	do të doja	do të doje	do të donte	do të donim	do të donit	do të donin
	past perfect (më se e kryer)	do të kisha dashur	do të kishe dashur	do të kishte dashur	do të kishim dashur	do të kishit dashur	do të kishin dashur

optative (dëshirore)		unë	ti	ai/ajo	ne	ju	ata/ato
	present (e tashme)	daça	daç	dantë	dançim	dançit	dançin
	perfect (e kryer)	paça dashur	paç dashur	pastë dashur	paçim dashur	paçit dashur	paçin dashur

admirative (habitore)		unë	ti	ai/ajo	ne	ju	ata/ato
	present (e tashme)	dashkam	dashke	dashka	dashkemi	dashkeni	dashkan
	imperfect (pakryer)	dashkësha	dashkëshe	dashkësh	dashkëshim	dashkëshit	dashkëshin
	perfect (e kryer)	paskam dashur	paske dashur	paska dashur	paskemi dashur	paskeni dashur	paskan dashur
	past perfect (më se e kryer)	paskësha dashur	paskëshe dashur	paskësh dashur	paskëshim dashur	paskëshit dashur	paskëshin dashur
imperative (urdhërore)		—	ti	—	—	ju	—
imperative (urdhërore)	present (e tashme)	—	duaj	—	—	doni	—
¹) indicative future identical with conditional present ²) indicative future perfect identical with conditional perfect

Related terms

dashur
do
dua
duhet

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *tōn. Cognate with Chuvash тум (tum).

Noun

don (definite accusative donnu, plural donlar)

dress (worn by women)
Synonym: paltar
gown (loose, flowing upper garment)
(figurative) raiment, attire, garb, habiliments
appearance, look (of a person)

Declension

Declension of don
	singular	plural
nominative	don	donlar
definite accusative	donu	donları
dative	dona	donlara
locative	donda	donlarda
ablative	dondan	donlardan
definite genitive	donun	donların

Possessive forms of don
	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donum	donlarım
sənin (“your”)	donun	donların
onun (“his/her/its”)	donu	donları
bizim (“our”)	donumuz	donlarımız
sizin (“your”)	donunuz	donlarınız
onların (“their”)	donu or donları	donları
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donumu	donlarımı
sənin (“your”)	donunu	donlarını
onun (“his/her/its”)	donunu	donlarını
bizim (“our”)	donumuzu	donlarımızı
sizin (“your”)	donunuzu	donlarınızı
onların (“their”)	donunu or donlarını	donlarını
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donuma	donlarıma
sənin (“your”)	donuna	donlarına
onun (“his/her/its”)	donuna	donlarına
bizim (“our”)	donumuza	donlarımıza
sizin (“your”)	donunuza	donlarınıza
onların (“their”)	donuna or donlarına	donlarına
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donumda	donlarımda
sənin (“your”)	donunda	donlarında
onun (“his/her/its”)	donunda	donlarında
bizim (“our”)	donumuzda	donlarımızda
sizin (“your”)	donunuzda	donlarınızda
onların (“their”)	donunda or donlarında	donlarında
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donumdan	donlarımdan
sənin (“your”)	donundan	donlarından
onun (“his/her/its”)	donundan	donlarından
bizim (“our”)	donumuzdan	donlarımızdan
sizin (“your”)	donunuzdan	donlarınızdan
onların (“their”)	donundan or donlarından	donlarından
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	donumun	donlarımın
sənin (“your”)	donunun	donlarının
onun (“his/her/its”)	donunun	donlarının
bizim (“our”)	donumuzun	donlarımızın
sizin (“your”)	donunuzun	donlarınızın
onların (“their”)	donunun or donlarının	donlarının

Derived terms

donatmaq (“adorn”) (dialectal)
- donanmaq
donlu

Related terms

donanma (“fleet; navy”)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Turkic *doŋ (“frozen; frost”). See Bashkir туң (tuŋ) for more cognates.

Adjective

don (comparative daha don, superlative ən don)

frozen, congealed

Noun

don (definite accusative donnu, plural donlar)

frost
ice-covered ground, black ice

Derived terms

donmaq
- dondurmaq
  - dondurma (“ice-cream”)

Bambara

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [dõ˦õ˨]

Noun

don

day

Verb

don (tone dòn)

(intransitive) to enter
(transitive) to put (something into something)
to put on, wear (of clothing)

Derived terms

donda

Predicative

don (tone dòn)

marks the predicate

References

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

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *duβn, from Proto-Celtic *dubnos, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubʰnós.

Adjective

don

deep

Casiguran Dumagat Agta

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *dahun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *dahun.

Noun

dön

leaf (of a plant)

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish don, which is from Latin dominus (“lord”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈdon]
Rhymes: -on

Noun

don m anim

(in Italian environment) (Originally a title of honour of the Pope, later used for all priests and later for aristocrats)
don Giovanni ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
(Spanish noble title) [19th c.]
(title of respect in front of Spanish given names)
don José ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
don (maffia boss)
- 2003, Miroslav Nožina, Mezinárodní organizovaný zločin v České republice, Themis, →ISBN, page 156:
  Roku 1876 mafiánský don Raffaele Palizollo reformoval dosavadní strategii nevměšování se mafie do veřejného života.
  In 1876 mafia don Raffaele Palizollo reformed the previous strategy of mafia not interfering into public affairs.
- 2012, Hana Pernicová (translator), Kolumbova záhada‎, Ostrava: Domino, translation of original by Steve Berry, →ISBN, page 412:
  Simon se zatvářil stejně jako drogový don před čtyřmi dny.
  Simon had the same expression as the drug mafia don four days ago.

Declension

Declension of don

	singular	plural
nominative	don	donové
genitive	dona	donů
dative	donovi, donu	donům
accusative	dona	dony
vocative	done	donové
locative	donovi, donu	donech
instrumental	donem	dony

Related terms

dona
doňa

Anagrams

dno

Dupaningan Agta

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *dahun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *dahun.

Noun

don

leaf (of a plant)

French

Etymology

From Old French don, from Latin dōnum.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔ̃/
Audio (France) (file)
Homophones: dom, dons, dont

Noun

don m (plural dons)

gift, talent, knack
gift (present)
donation

Derived terms

don de sang
don du ciel

Derived terms

faire don

Galician

Etymology

From Late Latin domnus, from Latin dominus (“lord”). Cognates include Spanish don.

Noun

don m (plural dons, feminine dona, feminine plural donas)

sir, mister

Synonyms

(courtesy treatment): señor

Related terms

dono

Irish

Alternative forms

do’n (superseded)
’on (colloquial)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠənˠ/
(Galway) IPA^(key): /ɡənˠ/

Contraction

don

Contraction of do an.
Thug mé don bhuachaill é. ― I gave it to the boy.
Tá mé ag dul don Spáinn. ― I'm going to Spain.

Usage notes

This contraction is obligatory, i.e. *do an never appears uncontracted. It triggers lenition of a following consonant other than d, s, or t.

Related 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 2

From Old Irish don (“misfortune, evil”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɔnˠ/
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /d̪ˠʌnˠ/

Noun

don

misfortune

Usage notes

Used only in a few stock maledictions such as Do dhon is do dhuais ort!, Don is duais ort!, Mo dhon is mo dhograinn ort! (all basically "bad luck to you!") and Don d’fhiafraí ort! (“Don’t be so inquisitive!”).

Derived terms

dona
donacht
donagar
donaigh
donaire
donán

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
don	dhon	ndon
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Italian

Alternative forms

dom (archaic)

Etymology

From a shortening of an earlier donno, from dom'no (used by Dante), from Latin domnus < dominus. Compare Sicilian don.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔn/
Rhymes: -ɔn
Hyphenation: dòn

Noun

don m (invariable)

Father (a title given to priests)
a title of respect to a man

Descendants

→ French: dom

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

From English don, particularly in the sense of a crime boss.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdan/
Hyphenation: don

Noun

don (plural: don dem or dons dem, quantified: don)

don, leader, community leader, crime boss, head of a garrison (leader)
Dem figet seh mi a di one don?
Have they forgotten that I'm the one true leader?
From di word start go roun' seh him want turn di don, a whole heap a man start pree him and warn him fi be careful.
As soon as word got around that he wanted to become the community leader, a lot of people took notice of him and warned him to be careful.

Derived terms

don dada

Japanese

Romanization

don

Rōmaji transcription of どん
Rōmaji transcription of ドン

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English dōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dōn, from Proto-Germanic *dōną.

Alternative forms

donne, doyn, do, doon

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doːn/
Rhymes: -oːn

Verb

don

To do, perform (an activity)
To complete, finish
To make, create
To put, place, position, raise
To remove, take away
To go or move (in a specified direction)
To behave (in a specified manner
(auxiliary) To cause (an action or state)
(auxiliary) Emphasises the verb that follows it
(auxiliary) Stands in for a verb in a dependent clause

Usage notes

As in modern English, several uses of this verb are highly idiomatic.

Conjugation

Conjugation of don (irregular)

infinitive	(to) don, do
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	do	dide
2nd-person singular	dost, dest	didest, dide
3rd-person singular	doth, deth	dide
subjunctive singular	do	dide
imperative singular	do	—

plural¹	don, do	diden, dide
imperative plural	doth, do	—

participles	doynge, donde	don, do, ydon, ydo

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

doer

Descendants

English: do
- Northumbrian: dee
Scots: dae
Yola: doone

References

“dọ̄n, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-12.
Wright, Joseph, and Elizabeth Mary Wright. An Elementary Middle English Grammar, p193. Oxford University Press, 1923.

Etymology 2

From Old English dōn on.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔn/

Verb

don

(Late Middle English) to put on

Conjugation

Conjugation of don (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) don
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	done	doned
2nd-person singular	donest	donedest
3rd-person singular	doneth	doned
subjunctive singular	done	doned
imperative singular	done	—

plural¹	donen, done	doneden, donede
imperative plural	doneth, done	—

participles	donynge, donende	doned, ydoned

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

English: don
Yola: don

References

“don, v.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon dōn.

Verb

dôn

to do

Conjugation

Irregular: present 1sg dô, 2sg deist (dôst, dṏst), 3sg deit (dôt, dṏt), pl. dôn, dôt, dṏt, preterit 1sg dede, 2sg dêdest, 3sg dede, pl. dêden, past participle gedân, dân

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From English done.

Verb

don

have (perfect aspect auxiliary)
Wi don chop. ― We have eaten.

Northern Kurdish

Alternative forms

dihn, dohin, dohn, duhn, dwîn

Etymology

From Arabic دُهْن‎ (duhn). But compare Turkish donyağı, don yağı (“tallow”), which is said to be from the root of donmak (“to freeze”).

Noun

don m

(melted) fat, grease
Synonym: bez
Bîne nanê genimî, duhn bide, bêxe leşê min, ezê sax bim. ― Bring wheat bread, spread it with fat, put it on my body and I shall be cured [i.e., come to life again].

References

Chyet, Michael L. (2020), “don”, in Ferhenga Birûskî: Kurmanji–English Dictionary (Language Series; 1), volume I, London: Transnational Press, page 201b
Gülensoy, Tuncer (1994), “don”, in Kürtçenin Etimolojik Sözlüğü [Etymological Dictionary of Kurdish] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, page 65

Northern Sami

Etymology 1

From Proto-Samic *tonë.

Pronunciation

(Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈton/

Pronoun

don

you (singular)

Inflection

Inflection of don (irregular)
Nominative	don
Genitive	dū
Nominative	don
Genitive	dū
Accusative	dū
Illative	dutnje
Locative	dūs
Comitative	duinna
Essive	dūnin

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

(Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈtoːn/

Determiner

dōn

accusative/genitive singular of dōt

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin dōnum.

Pronunciation

Audio (Béarn) (file)

Noun

don m (plural dons)

gift (something given to another voluntarily)
gift (a talent or natural ability)
donation (a voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause)

Related terms

dar
donar

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *dōn (“to do”). The exact origin of past tense forms dyde, dydest, and dydon are unexplained, since such forms have -y- instead of expected *-e- (*dede) from Proto-Germanic past stem *ded-/*dēd-.

Cognates:

Cognate with Old Frisian dwā, Old Saxon dōn, Old Dutch duon, Old High German tuon. Non-Germanic cognates include Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi), Latin faciō, Old Church Slavonic дѣти (děti).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /doːn/

Verb

dōn

to do
Hwæt dēst þū?
What are you doing?
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
  Iċ dyde swā iċ meahte.
  I did what I could.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 17:12
  Hīe dydon swā hwæt swā hīe woldon.
  They did whatever they wanted.
- late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 41:55
  Gangaþ tō Iosepe and dōþ swā hwæt swā hē ēow seċġe.
  Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
  Ǣte þū tōdæġ? Iċ dyde.
  Did you eat today? I did.
- c. 992, Ælfric, "Sermon on the Beginning of Creation"
  Þæt ċild wēox swā swā ōðru ċildru dōþ.
  The child grew as other children do.
- late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 3:8
  Þā behȳdde Adam hine, and his wīf ēac swā dyde, fram Godes ġesihte.
  Then Adam hid himself from God's sight, and his wife did so too.
to make, cause
- c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of St. Bartholomew the Apostle"
  Þū dydest mīnne brōðor his god forlǣtan.
  You made my brother renounce his god.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 3:3
  Ġeġearwiaþ Dryhtnes weġ, dōþ his sīðas rihte.
  Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 4:19
  Folgiaþ mē, and iċ dō þæt ġit bēoþ manna fisċeras.
  Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of people.
- late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 42:36
  Þā cwæþ Iācōb heora fæder, "Bearnlēasne ġē habbaþ mē ġedōnne. Næbbe iċ Iōsēp and Simeon is on bendum; nū ġē nimaþ Beniamin æt mē."
  Then Jacob, their father, said, "You have made me childless. I don't have Joseph and Simeon is in chains; now you're taking Benjamin from me."
to put
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Mark 7:33
  Hē dyde his fingras on his ēaran.
  He put his fingers in his ears.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 26:52
  Þā cwæþ sē Hǣlend tō him, "Dō þīn sweord eft on his sċēaðe."
  Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back in its sheath."
to add
- c. 1011, Byrhtferth, Manual
  Blōtmōnaþ hæfþ seofon rēgulārēs. Dō þrītiġ þǣr tō, þonne bēoþ þæt seofon and þrītiġ.
  November has seven regulares. Add 30 to that, and it is 37.
to treat someone (+ dative) a certain way
- c. 973, Æthelwold, translation of the Rule of Saint Benedict
  XXXV. Be þām þæt man eallum munucum ġelīċe dōn sċyle.
  35. On how all monks should be treated equally.
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
  Ēalā hū yfele mē dōþ maniġe weoroldmenn mid þām þæt iċ ne mōt wealdan mīnra āgenra þēawa.
  Many worldly people treat me so badly, I'm not allowed to practice my own virtues.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Luke 16:19
  Nū iċ neom wierðe þæt iċ bēo þīn sunu nemned. Dō mē swā ānne of þīnum ierðlingum.
  I don't deserve to be called your son anymore. Treat me as one of your fieldworkers.

Conjugation

Conjugation of dōn (irregular)

indicative mood	present tense	past tense
infinitive	dōn	dōnne
first person singular	dō	dyde
second person singular	dēst	dydest
third person singular	dēþ	dyde
plural	dōþ	dydon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	dō	dyde
plural	dōn	dyden
imperative
singular	dō
plural	dōþ
participle	present	past
	dōnde	(ġe)dōn

Derived terms

bedōn
dōn of
dōn on
fordōn
fuldōn
ġedōn
misdōn
oferdōn
ondōn

Descendants

Middle English: don, donne, doyn, do, doon
- English: do
  - Northumbrian: dee
- Scots: dae
- Yola: doone

References

Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898), “don”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old French

Alternative forms

dun

Etymology

From Latin donum.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dun/

Noun

don m (oblique plural dons, nominative singular dons, nominative plural don)

gift

Descendants

French: don
→ Middle English: done

Old Irish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [don]

Etymology 1

Univerbation of di (“of/from”) +‎ in (“the sg”)

Article

don

of/from the sg

Alternative forms

dond, dund, dont

Etymology 2

Univerbation of do (“to/for”) +‎ in (“the sg”)

Article

don

to/for the sg

Alternative forms

dond, dund, dont

Noun

don (gender unknown)

misfortune, evil

Descendants

Irish: don

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
don	don pronounced with /ð(ʲ)-/	ndon
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

doan, dūan, duon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *dōn.

Cognates

Compare Old English dōn, Old Frisian dwā, dūa, duā, Old Dutch duon, Old High German tuon.

Verb

dōn

to do

Conjugation

Conjugation of dōn (irregular)

indicative	present	past
infinitive	dōn
1st person singular	dōm	deda
2nd person singular	dōs	dādi
3rd person singular	dōd	deda
plural	dōth	dādun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	dōe	dādi
2nd person singular	dōes	dādis
3rd person singular	dōe	dādi
plural	dōen	dādin
imperative	present
singular	dō
plural	dōth
participle	present	past
	dōndi	gidōn, dōn

Descendants

Middle Low German: dôn
- Low German: deoen (Paderbornisch), dohn (Münsterländisch); doon

Old Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /(ˈ)don/

Etymology 1

From Late Latin dom, from domnus (“master, sir”), from Latin dominus, from domus (“a house”).

Noun

don m (plural dones)

(honorific) sir, master; a title prefixed to male given names
- c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 1r.
  [R]emont por la gracia de dios. arçobispo de Toledo. a don almeric. arçidiano de antiochia con grant amor ſalut ¬ amidtad.
  Remont, by the Grace of God archbishop of Toledo, to master Almerich, archdeacon of Antioch, with great love, haleness and goodwill.

Descendants

Spanish: don
- → Catalan: don
- → Czech: don
- → Tagalog: Don

Etymology 2

From Latin dōnum (“a gift”), from dō (“I give”).

Noun

don m (plural dones)

gift, talent
- c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 65r.
  eſtonces el rey dio grandes dones adaniel e diol ſennoria ſobre ſos ſabios e la cibdat de babilonia […]
  Then the king gave Daniel great gifts and gave him rulership over his wise men and the city of Babylon […]

Descendants

Spanish: don

Etymology 3

Shortening of dont.

Adverb

don

Apocopic form of dont; where
- c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 56r.
  Euino el pph́a iſaẏas e dixo al reẏ ezechias dó uinieron eſtos barones. ¬ q́ te dixieron dixo el de tierra de luen uinieron de babilonia.
  And the prophet Isaiah came and said to king Hezekiah, “Where did these men come from, and what did they say to you?” He said, “From a distant land. They came from Babylon”.

Descendants

Spanish: do

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

dhan

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /t̪ɔn̪ˠ/
Hyphenation: don

Preposition

don (+ dative)

Contraction of do an.
Chaidh i don bhùth. ― She went to the shop.

Usage notes

Like the bare article an, don triggers lenition if the following noun begins with f, c and g.

References

Colin Mark (2003), “do”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 235

Sicilian

Alternative forms

ron

Etymology

From a shortening of an earlier donnu (“master, sir”), from Latin domnus < dominus, from domus (“a house”), from Proto-Indo-European *dṓm (“a house”), from root Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“to build”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɔn/ (Standard)
IPA^(key): /ɾɔn/ (Rhotacized)
Rhymes: -on
Hyphenation: don

Noun

don m (inv)

(obsolete) sir, master, lord
(obsolete) social honorary title referred to men possessing patrimonial assets
a title of respect to a man, especially older, prefixed to first names

Coordinate terms

(gender): donna
(age): carusu

Related terms

gna
mastra
mastru
za
zu
zìa
zìu

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdon/ [ˈd̪õn]
Rhymes: -on
Syllabification: don

Etymology 1

From Late Latin dom (“a courtesy title for monks and abbots”), from domnus (“master, sir”), from Classical Latin dominus, from domus (“a house”), from Proto-Indo-European *dṓm (“a house”), from root Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“to build”).

Noun

don m (plural dones, feminine doña, feminine plural doñas)

(obsolete) sir, master, lord
a title of respect to a man, prefixed to first names
- 1844, José Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio‎, lines 57-58:
  [Y] dime: don Luis Mejías ¿ha venido hoy?
  [A]nd tell me: mister Luis Mejía, did he come today?

Derived terms

don nadie
poderoso caballero es don dinero

Related terms

doña
dueño

Descendants

→ Catalan: don
→ Czech: don
→ Tagalog: Don

Etymology 2

From Latin dōnum (“a gift”) (whence English donation), from dō (“to give”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”).

Noun

don m (plural dones)

gift, present
gift, talent, knack
Cielos, tu tío realmente tiene un don para gastar todo su dinero en el casino, ¿no?
Yikes, your uncle really has a knack for blowing all his money in the casino, doesn't he?

Usage notes

Like with the English word "knack", don can be used to describe a positive gift or talent, or a negative one like a bad habit or a neutral tendency to do something.

Derived terms

don de acierto
don de errar
don de gentes
don de lenguas
don de mando

Related terms

condonar
donación
donante
donar
perdón
perdonar

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Dutch dom.

Adjective

don

stupid

Noun

don

stupidity
Sranan odo: don no abi dresi.
Surinamese proverb: there is no medicine for stupidity.

Swedish

Etymology

Originally "work done, something accomplished," from the root of dåd (“deed, feat”).[1]

Noun

don n

a tool, an implement

Declension

Declension of don
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	don	donet	don	donen
Genitive	dons	donets	dons	donens

Related terms

fordon
skodon

References

“don”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy]‎ (in Swedish), 1937

Anagrams

ond

Turkish

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish طون‎ (don), from Proto-Turkic *tōn.

Noun

don

underpants
jogging pants
pants
shorts

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish طوڭ‎ (doñ), from Proto-Turkic *toŋ. Cognate with Chuvash тӑм (tăm), also related to Chinese 凍／冻 (dòng).[1]

Noun

don

frost

Verb

don

second-person singular imperative of donmak

Related terms

donma
donmak

References

İnayet, A. (1998). Çincedeki Türkçe Kelimeler Üzerine . Türk Dünyası Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi , (6) , . Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tdded/issue/12716/154815

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zɔn˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [jɔŋ˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jɔŋ˧˧]
Audio (Hà Nội) (file)

Noun

(classifier con) don

Atherurus macrourus, Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine
Synonym: đon

West Makian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪on̪/

Noun

don

a cape, headland

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

Yogad

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *dahun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *dahun.

Noun

don

leaf (of a plant)

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English don, from Old English dōn on.

Verb

don

To put on, as clothes, dress.

References

Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 36

Zazaki

Noun

don ?

kind of bread

Zou

Verb

don

drink

References

http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf

[1] “don”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy]‎ (in Swedish), 1937

[2] İnayet, A. (1998). Çincedeki Türkçe Kelimeler Üzerine . Türk Dünyası Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi , (6) , . Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tdded/issue/12716/154815

don

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

See also

See also

Anagrams

Albanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Verb

Conjugation

Related terms

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Noun

Derived terms

Further reading

Bambara

Pronunciation

Noun

Verb

Derived terms

Predicative

References

Breton

Etymology

Adjective

Casiguran Dumagat Agta

Etymology

Noun

Czech

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Dupaningan Agta

Etymology

Noun

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Derived terms

Further reading

Galician

Etymology

Noun

Synonyms

Related terms

Further reading

Irish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Contraction

Usage notes

Related terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes