An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/thun

by Friedrich Kluge

thun, vb., ‘to do, perform, make,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. tuon; corresponding to OSax. dûan, Du. doen, AS. dôn, E. to do. Further details concerning this essentially West Teut. str. verbal root dô, dê (in Goth. taujan, ‘to do’), belongs to grammar; yet see also That and the suffix -tum. The pre-Teut. dhô, dhê, has a wide ramification in the other Aryan languages. Comp. the Gr. root θη, θε, in τίθημι ‘to put, do,’ Sans. root dhâ (dadhâmi and dhãmi), ‘to put, lay, do’ (dhâtṛ, ‘creator’), OSlov. děją (and deždą), ‘to do, make,’ Lat. facio (perf. fêci, equiv. to Gr. ἔθηκα).