What does doat mean?
"Doat" is an older spelling of the verb "dote," meaning to display excessive, often uncritical fondness or love for a person or thing. Someone who doats on a child, a partner, or even a pet showers them with adoring attention, sometimes to the point of silliness or indulgence. The word carries a warm but slightly cautionary connotation: it often implies that the affection is disproportionate or blind. Historically common in British and American literature — appearing in writers from Shakespeare's era onward — "doat" has largely given way to "dote" in modern usage, though readers will still encounter it in classic novels and older texts. It usually takes the prepositions "on" or "upon," as in "to doat on one's grandchildren." Related words such as "dotage" and "dotard" preserve an older sense of mental decline, linking excessive fondness with the feebleness of old age.
verb"Doat" is an older or nonstandard spelling of "dote," chiefly meaning to show excessive fondness or love for someone or something. It is now considered archaic or a variant form, with "dote" being the standard modern spelling.
- To show excessive or foolish affection for someone; to be infatuated with or overly fond of someone or something.
- (Archaic) To be weak-minded, silly, or in decline mentally — as in the related word "dotage".
"She would doat upon her grandchildren, spoiling them at every visit."
"The old professor would doat on any student who shared his love of Latin poetry."
"In the novel, the widower continues to doat upon the memory of his late wife."
Shakespeare's contemporaries wrote "doat" — but if you use that spelling today, spellcheckers will flag it: English quietly standardized on "dote."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of doat
"Doat" derives from the Middle English verb "doten," which meant both to be foolish or weak-minded and to be excessively fond. The word is of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly of Germanic origin, and its two historical senses — mental decline and extravagant affection — are closely linked, since doting affection was traditionally associated with the infirmities of age (hence "dotage" and "dotard"). The spelling "doat" was widely used into the nineteenth century before "dote" became the standard form.
Related word forms
How doat is actually used
The spelling "doat" was common in earlier centuries and appears frequently in classic literature, but modern dictionaries treat it as an archaic or obsolete variant; "dote" is preferred in all contemporary writing. The verb typically takes the preposition "on" or "upon."
Easily confused with doat
"Dote" is the standard modern spelling of this verb; "doat" is an older or variant spelling carrying the same meaning.
A "dot" is a small round mark or point, whereas "doat/dote" is a verb meaning to be excessively fond of something.