English
deed
Deed comes from Old English dēd ‘deed, act’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁tis‘deed, action’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*dēdizreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dādireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dēd‘deed, act’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dede
- Englishearliest quotation 1596deed
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁tis‘deed, action’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*dēdizreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dādireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dēd‘deed, act’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dede
- Englishearliest quotation 1596deed
Earliest quotation: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto VII: “They should accomplish both a knightly deed”.
Formed from do + -th
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to put’
Proto-Germanic *dōną ‘to do’
Proto-West Germanic *dōn ‘to do’
Old English dōn ‘to do’
Middle English don
English do
The story
The real estate sense derives from the fact that property deeds are traditionally used to demonstrate proof of ownership of a legal title in common law jurisdictions, such as England & Wales and most of the United States.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, hot, fair, deal, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defense, theme, custom, ethnic, sufficient, defence, treasury, treasure, ethical, thesis, aesthetic, feast, synthetic, theology, doom, tick, defendant, dis, atheist, ethic, auditorium, auditor, atheism, thematic, ethos, forfeit, feral, fanatic, familial, prefect, 130 more
Today it means
noun An action or act; something that is done.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / deed