First used as a noun in Early Modern English, from dialectal English dold ("stupid, confused"), from Middle English dold, a variant of dulled, dult ("dulled"), past participle of dullen, dollen ("to make dull, make stupid"), from dull, dul, dwal ("stupid").

• (British) IPA: /dɒlt/, IPA: /dəʊlt/, /dɔʊlt/
• (America) IPA: /doʊlt/

dolt (plural dolts)

1. (pejorative) A stupid person; a blockhead or dullard.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:fool

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene ii], page 337 ↗:

     O Gull, oh dolt, / As ignorant as durt: […]

   • c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene xii], page 361 ↗:

     Moſt Monſter-like, be ſhewne / For poor'ſt Diminutiues, for Dolts, […]

   • 1627, Michaell Drayton [i.e., Michael Drayton], “Nimphidia. The Court of Fayrie.”, in The Battaile of Agincourt. […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for VVilliam Lee, […], published 1631, →OCLC ↗:

     This Puck seemes but a dreaming dolt.

• French: imbécile
• German: Blödmann, Tölpel, Trottel, Dummkopf, Tölpel, Depp
• Italian: imbecille
• Portuguese: imbecil
• Russian: болва́н
• Spanish: estúpido

dolt (dolts, present participle dolting; simple past and past participle dolted)

1. (obsolete) To behave foolishly.
2. To fool; to trick