dotes

Dote is a verb meaning to show excessive fondness for someone or something. The sense emphasizes warm affection that can border on uncritical indulgence. The form dotes is the third-person singular present; the verb is typically used with the preposition on or upon, as in “She dotes on her grandchildren” or “He dotes on his cat.” Dote can also appear without an object in older usage, but “dote on” is the standard construction.

In addition to its general sense of affectionate indulgence, dote is connected to aging in the related noun dotage, which describes a period of diminished mental faculties in old age, often expressed in the phrase “in one’s dotage.” The adjective doting describes someone who is excessively fond in a warm, indulgent way, as in “a doting parent.”

Etymology traces the verb to Middle English, with the sense of showing extreme fondness that has persisted into modern English. The term typically carries a soft, sentimental tone and can imply affectionate indulgence that might overlook flaws or limitations.