Where does “doting” come from?

Doting comes from Middle English doting, from Old English -ing added to a verb, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ungō, a suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs.

doting (English): present participle of dote; Characterized by...

Definitions

  1. present participle of dote; Characterized by...

Ancestry of “doting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdotyngeIdiocy, senility; Disintegration, rotting
2Middle English-yngeAlternative form of -ing
3Old English-ungforming nouns from verbs, denoting verbal action...
4Proto-Germanic-ungō-ing, -ion. "Forms gerund nouns from verbs."

Words derived from “doting”

Every word from Proto-Germanic -ungō →Every word from Old English -ung →Every word from Middle English -ynge →