Dotings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Showing excessive fondness or love towards someone
2. displaying an overindulgent affection typically characterized by attentiveness and care
3. expressing deep emotional tenderness in relationships, often excessively so

Etymology: "Dotings" is the plural of "doting", a noun formed from the verb "dote" and the suffix "-ing". The verb "dote" goes back to Middle English, where it meant to be foolish or silly, and the "-ing" ending turned the act of doting into a thing that could be felt or shown, as in the excessive affection the word now describes. The plural form appears when people speak of several outbursts of such fondness, or several cases of it, across different people or times. Because the base verb carried the sense of foolishness before it carried the sense of love, the modern meaning grew from a word that once implied a lack of good judgement.

Synonyms: affection, fondness, devotion, adoration, tenderness

Antonyms: indifference, neglect, disdain, apathy, enmity