DOTE DEFINITIONS - 15 definitions found
dote v 1: be foolish or senile due to old age 2: shower with love; show excessive affection for; "Grandmother dotes on her the twins" dote toed dote c.1205, from M.L.G. doten "be foolish," of unknown origin. Dotage, lit. "the state of one who dotes," first recorded c.1390 for "senility." Dotard (n.) "imbecile" is attested from c.1386. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) dote intransitive verb (doted; doting) Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle Low German dotten to be foolish Date: 13th century 1. to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age ; be in one's dotage 2. to be lavish or excessive in one's attention, fondness, or affection — usually used with on <doted on her only grandchild> • doter noun • dotingly adverb Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary dote (dotes, doting, doted) If you say that someone dotes on a person or a thing, you mean that they love or care about them very much and ignore any faults they may have. He dotes on his nine-year-old son. VERB: V on/upon n English Explanatory Dictionary dote dəut v.intr. 1 (foll. by on, upon) be foolishly or excessively fond of. 2 be silly or feeble-minded, esp. from old age. øødoter n. dotingly adv. [ME, corresp. to MDu. doten be silly] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Dote \Dote\, n. An imbecile; a dotard. --Halliwell. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Dote \Dote\, n. [See Dot dowry.] 1. A marriage portion. [Obs.] See 1st Dot, n. --Wyatt. 2. pl. Natural endowments. [Obs.] --B. Jonson. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Dote \Dote\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Doted; p. pr. & vb. n. Doting.] [OE. doten; akin to OD. doten, D. dutten, to doze, Icel. dotta to nod from sleep, MHG. t?zen to keep still: cf. F. doter, OF. radoter (to dote, rave, talk idly or senselessly), which are from the same source.] [Written also doat.] 1. To act foolishly. [Obs.] He wol make him doten anon right. --Chaucer. 2. To be weak-minded, silly, or idiotic; to have the intellect impaired, especially by age, so that the mind wanders or wavers; to drivel. Time has made you dote, and vainly tell Of arms imagined in your lonely cell. --Dryden. He survived the use of his reason, grew infatuated, and doted long before he died. --South. 3. To be excessively or foolishly fond; to love to excess; to be weakly affectionate; -- with on or upon; as, the mother dotes on her child. Sing, siren, for thyself, and I will dote. --Shak. What dust we dote on, when 't is man we love. -- Pope. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia DOTE dot: "To dote" means either "to be weakminded" or "to be foolishly fond." In the latter sense it is employed in Eze 23:5 ff; in the former, in Jer 50:36 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "shall become fools"); the King James Version Sirach 25:2 (the Revised Version (British and American) "lacking understanding"), and the King James Version 1Ti 6:4 (the Revised Version, margin "to be sick"; the King James Version margin"a fool"). Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms dote v. n. 1. Drivel, be imbecile, be foolish, be in one's dotage or second childhood. 2. Be over-fond, be foolishly fond. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) dote dəut v. Often, dote on or upon. be fond of, be infatuated with, love, idolize, hold dear, adore, make much of; coddle, pamper, spoil, indulge: I think she dotes on her husband at the expense of the children. What we need is a doting grandmother to babysit when we want to go out. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 34 Moby Thesaurus words for "dote": adore, babble, be fond of, be insane, be stupid, blather, blither, burble, coddle, dither, drivel, drool, enjoy, fancy, have a demon, hold dear, idolize, indulge, like, love, make much of, maunder, pamper, rage, ramble, rant, rave, run amok, run mad, slaver, slobber, spoil, wander, worship |
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