*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of don't

From do + -n't. Depending on dialect, its use in the third-person singular may be from elision (in these dialects does is used when not in the negative) or from not using -s to mark the third-person singular at all.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
intj

Stop!

noun

Chiefly in dos and don'ts: something that must or should not be done.

verb

Do not (negative auxiliary). · Does not. · Used before an emphatic negative subject.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From do + -n't. Depending on dialect, its use in the third-person singular may be from elision (in these dialects does is used when not in the negative) or from not using -s to mark the third-person singular at all.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "2": ":af",
        "3": "do",
        "4": "-n't",
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      },
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      "-n't",
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      "does",
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      "-s",
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  "descendants": [],
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      "glosses": [
        "Stop!"
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        "Used before an emphatic negative subject."
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for don't →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZG9uJ3Q