To perform an action, task, or activity. It can also be used as a helper verb in questions and negatives, like in 'Do you know?' or 'I do not understand.'
From Old English 'dōn', meaning 'to perform, make, act'. It is related to German 'tun' and Dutch 'doen', showing a shared Germanic root. Over centuries, 'do' also took on a grammatical role as a helper verb in English.
English uses 'do' in a special way that many languages don't: as a 'support verb' in questions and negatives, like 'Do you like it?' or 'I don't know.' This came from historical sound and grammar changes that removed other old endings, so 'do' stepped in to carry the question and negative markers. That little word is one reason English sentences sound so distinctive.
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