Where does “dotardly” come from?
dotardly (English) comes from English dotard, from Middle English dotard, from Middle English -ard, from Old French -ard, from Frankish -hard, from Proto-Germanic harduz, from Proto-Indo-European kert-, from Proto-Turkic *keŕ- — to travel, tour.
dotardly (English): Like a dotard; foolish and weak
Definitions
- Like a dotard; foolish and weak
Ancestry of “dotardly”, step by step
dotardly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dotard
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dotard | An old person with impaired intellect; one in his... |
| 2 | Middle English | dotard | A dotard; someone who displays senility; A fool... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ard | ard |
| 4 | Old French | -ard | pejorative agent noun |
| 5 | Frankish | -hard | hardy, bold |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | harduz | hard; brave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kert- | times; to weave, twist together; time |
| 8 | Proto-Turkic | *keŕ- | to travel, tour |