“do” in Latin

facere: agere: gerere (facere, ποιεῖν, to “make,” used especially of productive activity; and with reference to the means taken to produce an effect, and to the effect itself, as something abiding; agere, πράττειν, is more general, “to do,” “to be doing,” with reference to the object pursued and to its occupying, generally, the mind of the agent: also of “actions” that, when done, remain, as invisible things, in the memory, not as visible effects. Facere is, however, used absolutely, and with neuter pronouns, etc., in the sense of “do,” when “conduct,” or the “efforts” of the agent are referred to [faciam, ut potero; multa feci; quae, etc.; plus, quam feci, facere non possum]; and always when “do” is used as the representative of another verb, the repetition of which is thus avoided; e.g., supplex te rogo, quod sine summo dolore facere [the act of imploring you on my knees] non possum: gerere refers to the series of actions by which anything is carried on and completed; e.g., quae etiamsi voluntate Dolabellae fiebant, per istum tamen omnia gerebantur, Cic.): administrare (to manage, superintend; to be the person who actually executes what is to be done). They acted on their own discretion, and did whatever seemed best to be done, per se, quae videbantur, administrabant. To do too much or too little, modum excedere in aliqua re: I don’t know what to do, quid agam or faciam nescio; consilii inops sum; incertum est, quid agam; quo me convertam, nescio: he believed “that he hath nothing done, that doth not all,” nihil actum putabat, si quid superesset agendum: to be able to be done, fieri posse: (to enquire, etc.) what they should do in their situation, quid facerent de suis rebus: to do good, evil, bene, male agere or facere: to do right, recte agere; recte facere (☞ the latter, in as far as the effect of the act is such as it ought to be; Vid: the difference between agere and facere as explained above): to have a great deal to do, multis occupationibus distineri; to have always something to do, assiduis occupationibus impediri: to have plenty to do, satis negotiorum habere: anything gives me a great deal to do, res me occupatissimum habet: to have enough to do with one’s own affairs, suarum rerum sat agere: to do nothing, nihil agere (general term = being unoccupied); domi desidem sedere (to sit idle at home); studia negligere (to neglect one’s studies): to have nothing to do, otiosum esse (to be at leisure); negotiis vacare or vacuum esse (to have no business that one need do); *quaestum manu facere non posse (to be out of work, of a day-laborer); to set anybody something to do, alicui pensum imperare (PROP., to give the female slaves a certain quantity of wool to spin, etc., as Quint., 3, 7, 6: IMPROP., of setting any task or work); alicujus operam conducere (to hire anybody as a laborer). ☞ Most phrases formed with substantives, adjectives, or adverbs; e.g., to do PENANCE, ONE’S DUTY, RIGHT, etc., are to be looked for under those substantives.

To accomplish, effect, perform, finish; Vid: those words.

To have intercourse, etc., with anybody, ratione cum aliquo conjunctum esse (with reference to connection in trade, etc.); mihi commercium est cum aliquo (with reference to intercourse); mihi res est cum aliquo (my business is with him; I have to settle it etc., with him). I have, or will have, nothing to do with such men, tales homines fugio.

To meddle with or be employed in anything, operam suam navare alicui rei; versari in re: to have nothing to do with the management of anything, vacare administratione alicujus rei: I will have nothing to do with it, hanc rem non attingam: I have nothing to do with this (it is not my business), hoc meum munus non est; hae non sunt meae partes: what have I to do with that? quid ad me? quid mihi cum illa re?

To take a course with a person; e.g., what can we do with that fellow? or what is to be done with him? quid hoc homine or huic homini facias? There is nothing to be done with him, *homo est ad omnia ineptus; in eo et operam et oleum perdidi (whatever trouble you may take about him will be thrown away, Cic., ad Div., 7, 1): what am I to do with him? quid illi or illo faciam (☞ not cum illo, which is only used once by Plaut., Capt., 4, 2, 22, in this meaning. The most usual construction is that with the ablative or dative: the preposition “de” is comparatively rare; principally in the passive form with “fio;” e.g., what will they do with me? quid de me fiet?).

Emphatically used (= I pray); e.g., do come to me instantly! amabo te, advola! do place yourself in my position, fac, quaeso, qui ego sum, esse te: do say! dicdum! do make haste! agitedum! do write, etc., fac scribas, etc.! do show! ostende vero! do take it! cape vero! do lay aside your anger! minue vero iram! do let us mount our horses! quin conscendimus equos! do answer! quin respondes!do hear (what I have to say)! quin tu audi! do leave me alone! quin omitte me! do but consider! fac cogites!

Implying assent; e.g., I shall now rest from my work. Do! (= very well!) esto (be it so)! bene! recte! pulchre (as term of applause)! quam maxime (very well)! ita est (that’s it, as answer)!MISCELLANEOUS PHRASES -We do you, to wit, *omnes sciant: *ne alicui sit ignotum (as formula at the beginning of a document); *omnibus sit edictum (as formula of an edict): to do nothing but, nihil aliud quam (with a verb; e.g., discursare): they do nothing but play, omne tempus in ludo consumunt: he does nothing but talk about it, istud semper habet in ore: I have nothing to do with this, hoc nihil ad me attinet: I have nothing to do with you, nihil mini tecum negotii est: to do everything one’s self, omnia per se obire: to do anybody a good turn, alicui officium praestare; beneficio aliquem afficere; gratum alicui facere; alicui gratincari; benigne alicui facere: you will do me a great kindness or favor, if, etc., magnum beneficium mini dederis, gratissimum mihi feceris, si, etc.: to be able to do a great deal with anybody, auctoritate sua multum valere apud aliquem: to do something for anybody, in alicujus causa aliquid efficere: to do something for anybody (= assist him), aliquo aliquem auxilio adjuvare; adjuvare aliquem in aliqua re: the work is not quite done yet, operi nondum accessit ultima manus: what has that to do with it? quid hoc ad rem? I have nothing to do with that, nihil hoc ad me (sc. pertinet): how can that be done? or, is that to be done? qui potest? as far as it can be done, quoad fieri potest: he declared it could not possibly be done, huc ullo modo fieri or effici posse, negavit: I have done it, rem absolvi: I have done with the book, librum perlegi (i. e., have read it through): to have done the task, peregisse laboris sui pensum: you have nothing to do here, *nihil est, quod hic agas; or by the question, quid tibi hic est negotii? (what is your business here?): have done! omitte me! sine me (leave me alone)! potin’ ut desinas? (can’t you hold your tongue? comedy): done! en dextram! (there is my hand!) or cedo dextram! what are you doing? quid agis? quam rem agis? quid facis or instituis? how do you do? quid agis? quidagitur? (how are you getting on?) ut vales? (how are you? how do you feel?): what are you going to do? quid inceptas?I can do it by myself, rem ipse conficere possum: I will take care that it shall be done, hoc mihi curae or cordi erit: what is to be done? quid faciendum est? to get anything done [Vid: To GET]. To do great mischief, magnum malum excitare: what was all that to do about (= what was all that noise about) in the market? quid tumultus or turbae fuit apud forum? that will do, sufficit mihi aliquid (that is sufficient, I want no more); sed satis de hoc; sed satis jam verborum est; nolo plura dicere (let us say no more of it) also sed haec hactenus; sed finis sit (let us drop it); heus tu, manum de tabula (have done, give over now, as Cic., ad Div., 7, 25, 2): that will never do, *hoc mihi nunquam probabis (i. e., of a frivolous excuse); hoc quidem non adducar, ut credam; non facile adducar (not inducar) ad credendum (you will not easily make me believe that): it does not do for anybody to do so and so, non decet aliquem aliquid facere (e.g., oratorem irasci): one can do nothing with him, *homo est ad omnia ineptus (not fit for anything); homo est morosior et difficilior (he is of a nasty temper, so that one cannot get him to do anything to oblige one; also with “compressis, quod ajunt, manibus sedere,” as used proverbially by Liv., 7, 13; not to stir an inch): to be doing well, in rebus secundis esse; in bona conditione constitutum esse: I am doing pretty well, *habeo, unde me sustentem (i. e., I am getting my living): not to be doing well, afflictiore conditione esse; in rebus adversis esse; parce ac duriter vitam agere. To DO AGAIN, reficere: reparare (to repair): in melius restituere (to improve): reconcinnare (to put to rights again; Vid: Cic., Quint., Fr., 2, 6, 3): emendare (to correct): retractare (to go over again): repetere (to repeat): iterare (to do a second time): redintegrare (to do afresh): retractare (to set to work again at anything). To DO AWAY WITH, Vid. ABOLISH, abolere. To DO OVER, Vid: “to COAT WITH.” To DO UP, involvere; involucro tegere; in fasces colligareTo do up one’s luggage, sarcinas colligere vasa colligere; sarcinas aptare itineri (the first of soldiers or others, the two last of soldiers only): to do up a parcel of goods, merces in fasciculos colligare: to do up with a cord, astringere or constringere (e.g., luggage, sarcinas) To DO WITHOUTVid: “to DISPENSE WITH.”