Dottards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Elderly men whose mental powers have faded so that they behave foolishly or weakly
2. Aged males who have grown senile, forgetful and feeble in their judgment and conduct
3. Old men gone doddering and childish, often used as a contemptuous term for the mentally failing

Etymology: "Dottards" is simply the plural of "dottard," a noun for a senile old man, so the story belongs to the singular. The base word is "dot," an old verb meaning to become feeble-minded or to lose one's wits, usually through age, which gave rise to the adjective "doting" and to "dotard" with the agent-style ending "-ard," as in "drunkard" or "coward." Used of a person, the plural "dottards" describes a group of such old men, most often in contempt or pity.

Synonyms: dodderer, old fool, fogey

Antonyms: youth, juvenile