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dotage

[doh-tij]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dotage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a decline of mental faculties, especially as associated with old age; senility.
excessive fondness; foolish affection.

RELATED WORDS

fatuity, senility, weakness, decrepitude, imbecility, infirmity, senectitude

Nearby words

  1. dot the i's and cross the t's,
  2. dot-com,
  3. dot-coms,
  4. dot-matrix printer,
  5. dot-sequential,
  6. dotal,
  7. dotard,
  8. dotardly,
  9. dotation,
  10. dotcom

Origin of dotage

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at dote, -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dotage

British Dictionary definitions for dotage

dotage

noun

feebleness of mind, esp as a result of old age
foolish infatuation

Word Origin for dotage

C14: from dote + -age
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
Word Origin and History for dotage

dotage

n.

"the state of one who dotes," c.1300; see dote + -age. Originally of all sorts of mental impairment, not just that resulting from old age. First recorded late 14c. for "senility."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for dotage

dotage

[dō′tĭj]

n.

The loss of previously intact mental powers; senility.anility
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.