Dolt
/doʊlt/noun
A stupid or slow-witted person.
Did you know?Dolt appears in English in the 16th century, and scholars generally treat it as a word of uncertain origin, which makes it one of those insults that feels ancient even when its birth is still partly hidden.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
dolt
“A stupid person; a dullard.”
Middle English
English
dolt
“An obscure or uncertain earlier form, likely already carrying the sense of stupidity or dullness.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dul- / *dult-
“Uncertain; sometimes linked by scholars to a root idea of dullness or foolishness, but not securely established.”
Modern English
English
dolt
“A foolish, slow-witted person.”