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dote

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dote¹

  • /dəʊt/ UK
  • /doʊt/ US

Rhymes with -əʊt

Where it comes from

The verb is derived from Middle English doten, from Middle Low German doten (“to be foolish”) or Middle Dutch doten (“to be silly”). Doublet of doit (Scottish English).

The noun in the sense of "imbecile" is derived from Middle English dote (“simpleton”), itself from doten (see above). The noun in the sense of "darling" and "decay" is derived from the modern verb.

verb dotes · doting · doted · doat

  1. intransitive, stative, usually, with on To be weakly or foolishly fond of somebody. Little Bill's parents just keep doting on him.
  2. archaic, intransitive To act in a foolish manner; to be senile. He survived the use of his reason, grew infatuated, and doted long before he died.
  3. intransitive, obsolete, rare To rot, decay.

noun dotes · doat

  1. Ireland, countable A darling, a cutie. But to be sure baby Boardman was as good as gold, a perfect little dote in his new fancy bib.
  2. countable, obsolete An imbecile; a dotard. How did his death-bed make him a doate!
  3. rare, uncountable Decay in a tree.

Similar: mimmerkin

dote²

  • /dəʊt/ UK
  • /doʊt/ US

Rhymes with -əʊt

Where it comes from

From Middle English dote (“endowment”) (c. 1450), from Middle French dote (modern dot), from Latin dos.

noun dotes · doat

  1. obsolete Dowry.

dote³

  • /dəʊt/ UK
  • /doʊt/ US

Rhymes with -əʊt

Where it comes from

From Middle French doter, Latin dōtāre.

verb dotes · doting · doted · doat

  1. obsolete, transitive To endow, donate.

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