Meanings
dote1
present singular third person dotes · participle present doting · participle past doted · past doted · alternative obsolete doat
- intransitivestativeusuallywith onTo be weakly or foolishly fond of somebody.
Little Bill's parents just keep doting on him.
3 more examples
'[…] So altered — so faded — worn down by acute suffering of every kind! hardly could I believe the melancholy and sickly figure before me, to be the remains of the lovely, blooming, healthful girl, on whom I had once doated […]'
1811, Jane Austen, chapter 31, in Sense and SensibilityJules doted on Chris, spending hours while Chris was at school assembling vast cities out of microscopic Lego pieces to surprise him when he returned.
2010, Jennifer Egan, “A to B”, in A Visit from the Goon SquadClearly, with his height and long hair, he was the golden child, and as the youngest of three kids he was used to being doted upon.
2015, Kim Gordon, chapter 18, in Carrie Thornton, editor, Girl in a Band, New York: Dey st., →ISBN, page 114 - archaicintransitiveTo act in a foolish manner; to be senile.
Time has made you dote, and vainly tell / Of arms imagined in your lonely cell.
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC1 more example
He survived the use of his reason, grew infatuated, and doted long before he died.
1692–1717, Robert South, “Ill-disposed Affections […] ”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London
plural dotes · alternative obsolete doat
- rareuncountableDecay in a tree.
dote2
dote3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn imbecile; a dotard.
Origin
dote · verb, noun
- Middle Englishdote“simpleton”
- Middle Dutchdoten“to be silly”
- Middle Low Germandoten“to be foolish”
- Middle Englishdoten
- Englishdote
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.
More words from Middle English, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch
Full word history & related roots →dote · noun
- Latindos
- Middle Frenchdote
- Middle Englishdote“endowment”
- Englishdote
From Middle English dote (“endowment”) (c. 1450), from Middle French dote (modern dot), from Latin dos.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →dote · verb
- Latindōtāre
- Middle Frenchdoter
- Englishdote
From Middle French doter, Latin dōtāre.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian влюбвам се до уши, изкуфявам
- влюбвам се до уши (vljubvam se do uši)to be foolishly fond of
- изкуфявам (izkufjavam)to act in a foolish manner
- оглупявам (oglupjavam)to act in a foolish manner
Czech zbožňovat, slepě milovat
- zbožňovatto be foolishly fond of
- slepě milovatto be foolishly fond of
- vidět se (v kom)to be foolishly fond of
- lpět (na kom)to be foolishly fond of
- být senilníto act in a foolish manner
- senilnětto act in a foolish manner
Dutch dol zijn op, dollen
- dol zijn opto be foolishly fond of
- dollento act in a foolish manner
- schatdarling, cutie
- dotdarling, cutie
Finnish jumaloida, hölmöillä
- jumaloidato be foolishly fond of
- hölmöilläto act in a foolish manner
- söpöläinendarling, cutie
German schwärmen, vernarrt sein
- schwärmento be foolishly fond of
- vernarrt seinto be foolishly fond of
- einen Narren fressento be foolishly fond of
- verhätschelnto be foolishly fond of
- Lieblingdarling, cutie
- Schatzdarling, cutie
- Schätzchendarling, cutie
Māori whakamatariki, whakamaimoa
- whakamatarikito be foolishly fond of
- whakamaimoato be foolishly fond of
Polish ubóstwiać, szaleć
- ubóstwiaćto be foolishly fond of
- szalećto be foolishly fond of
- bzikowaćto act in a foolish manner
- zbzikowaćto act in a foolish manner
- ukochanydarling, cutie
- ukochanadarling, cutie
Russian обожа́ть, выжива́ть из ума́
- обожа́ть (obožátʹ)to be foolishly fond of
- выжива́ть из ума́ (vyživátʹ iz umá)to act in a foolish manner
- впада́ть в ста́рческий мара́зм (vpadátʹ v stárčeskij marázm)to act in a foolish manner
- мила́шка (miláška)darling, cutie
- ду́шечка (dúšečka)darling, cutie
Spanish amoroso
- amorosodarling, cutie
Turkish hariflemek
- hariflemekto act in a foolish manner
Ukrainian кохати до нестями, гинути
- кохати до нестями (koxaty do nestjamy)to be foolishly fond of
- гинути (hynuty)to be foolishly fond of
- втрачати глузд (vtračaty hluzd)to act in a foolish manner
- дуріти (durity)to act in a foolish manner
- шаленіти (šalenity)to act in a foolish manner
- люба (ljuba)darling, cutie
- любця (ljubcja)darling, cutie
- любий (ljubyj)darling, cutie
- любчик (ljubčyk)darling, cutie
- серденько (serdenʹko)darling, cutie
Welsh dwlu
- dwluto be foolishly fond of
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dote
Anagrams
Cite this entry
dote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dote
“dote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dote. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dote,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dote.
Source: dote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.