The spelling of the phrase "doest evil" may seem unusual to modern-day English speakers, but it was commonly used in Middle English. The word "doest" is the second person singular present tense form of the verb "do," and "evil" is an adjective meaning "morally wrong or wicked." The pronunciation can be transcribed as /ˈdʌst ˈiːvəl/. While this may seem archaic, it serves as a reminder of how language changes over time and how we can learn from our linguistic history.
The phrase "doest evil" consists of two words: "doest" and "evil".
1. "Doest": This is the second-person singular form of the verb "do" in Early Modern English. In this form, "do" is used with the pronoun "thou", which was used to address a single person informally. However, this form of the verb is considered archaic and is no longer in common use in Modern English.
2. "Evil": This word comes from the Old English word "yfel", which has Germanic roots. It eventually evolved into the Middle English word "evil", maintaining a similar meaning. "Evil" refers to something morally wrong, harmful, or wicked.
Considering the etymology of the individual words, "doest" originates from Middle English, while "evil" can be traced back to Old English.