Other forms: doting, doted, dotes
To dote is to love somebody so much that you spoil them. Dote on the baby, she doted on him, doted on by everybody.
It always takes on, and the excess is built in — doting is affection past the point of judgement, which is why it is said fondly of grandparents and critically of parents. Note dotage, meaning the feebleness of old age; and that the verb once meant simply to be foolish.
1verbdoteTo love somebody so much that you spoil them.
“She dotes on her little grandson and gives him sweets whenever he visits.”
dote is an excessive fondness.
Middle English doten comes from a Low German or Dutch verb meaning to be foolish. Dotage comes from the same foolishness.
Middle Dutch
doten — to be silly
Middle Low German
doten — to be foolish
Middle English
doten
English, today
dote
The verb is derived from Middle English doten, from Middle Low German doten (“to be foolish”) or Middle Dutch doten (“to be silly”). a doublet of doit (Scottish English). The noun in the sense of "imbecile" is derived from Middle English dote (“simpleton”), itself from doten (see above). The noun in the sense of "darling" and "decay" is derived from the modern verb.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA