ado
pronunciation
How to pronounce ado in British English:
UK [əˈdu:]
How to pronounce ado in American English:
US [əˈdu]
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- Noun:
- a rapid bustling commotion
Word Origin
- ado
- ado: [14] In origin, ado (like affair) means literally ‘to do’. This use of the preposition at (ado = at do) is a direct borrowing from Old Norse, where it was used before the infinitive of verbs, where English would use to. Ado persisted in this literal sense in northern English dialects, where Old Norse influence was strong, well into the 19th century, but by the late 16th century it was already a noun with the connotations of ‘activity’ or ‘fuss’ which have preserved it (alongside the indigenous to-do) in modern English.=> do
- ado (n.)
- late 14c., "conflict, fighting; difficulty, trouble," compounded from at do, dialectal in Norse influenced areas of England for to do, as some Scandinavian languages used at with infinitive of a verb where Modern English uses to. For sense development, compare to-do. Meaning "fuss" is from early 15c. Also used in Middle English for "dealings, traffic," and "sexual intercourse" (both c. 1400).
Example
- 1. So without further ado , here are 11 surprising facts about sex in america from that survey .
- 2. Pet loss : significant and profound loss or much ado about nothing ?
- 3. He paid up without any more ado .
- 4. He agreed to the proposal without ado .
- 5. So , without more ado , let me introduce tonight 's guests .