dotty

views updated May 29 2018

dot·ty / ˈdätē/ • adj. (dot·ti·er, dot·ti·est) inf. (of a person, action, or idea) somewhat mad or eccentric: he was slightly dotty by the end of his second term.DERIVATIVES: dot·ti·ly / ˈdätəlē/ adv.dot·ti·ness n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

dotty

views updated May 23 2018

dotty covered with dots; (sl.) of unsteady gait (cf. phr. dot and go one, said of one who has a wooden leg, XVIII); of feeble mind, daft XIX. f. DOT 1 + -Y 1.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD