Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “don” come from?

Don comes from Latin dominus, derived from Latin domus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dṓm, meaning house or household, which gave rise to the sense of master or lord.

don (English): A university professor, particularly one at...

Definitions

  1. A university professor, particularly one at...

Ancestry of “don”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latindominusa master, possessor, ruler, lord, proprietor; an...
2Latindomushouse, home; any building or abode; native place,...
3Proto-Italicdomoshouse, home
4Proto-Indo-Europeandṓmhome; house
5Proto-Indo-Europeandem-to build; to arrange, to put together

Words derived from “don”

  • donnish
  • donnishness
  • redon
  • donnishly
  • donship
  • undonnish
  • donnism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dem- →