Dullard
/ˈdʌl.əd/noun
A slow-witted or stupid person.
Did you know?The word is built from Old English and Middle English roots linked to being blunt or dim, and its -ard ending is the same old Germanic insult-suffix found in words like drunkard.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
dull
“blunt, obtuse, not sharp”
Middle English
ME
dull
“slow, stupid, lacking keenness”
Middle English
ME
-ard
“a pejorative agent suffix, often implying contempt”
14th Century
English
dullard
“a dull, stupid, or sluggish person”
Modern English
English
dullard
“a slow-witted or stupid person”