dote

[ doht ]
See synonyms for dote on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),dot·ed, dot·ing.Also doat .
  1. to bestow or express excessive love or fondness habitually (usually followed by on or upon): They dote on their youngest daughter.

  2. to show a decline of mental faculties, especially associated with old age.

noun
  1. decay of wood.

Origin of dote

1
1175–1225; Middle English doten “to behave foolishly, become feeble-minded”; cognate with Middle Dutch doten

Other words from dote

  • doter, noun

Words Nearby dote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dote in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dote

dote

now rarely doat

/ (dəʊt) /


verb(intr)
  1. (foll by on or upon) to love to an excessive or foolish degree

  2. to be foolish or weak-minded, esp as a result of old age

Origin of dote

1
C13: related to Middle Dutch doten to be silly, Norwegian dudra to shake

Derived forms of dote

  • doter or now rarely doater, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012