Dullhead

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who is slow to understand things and lacks quick intelligence, often used as an insult for someone considered foolish
2. An informal term for a dim, dull-minded individual who fails to grasp matters that others find obvious
3. Someone regarded as stupid or unintelligent, a mildly derogatory label applied to a person who seems mentally slow

Etymology: "Dullhead" is a plain compound of "dull" and "head," joining the adjective meaning slow in understanding with the word for the mind's seat. The pairing is a transparent one: a dullhead is someone whose head, meaning their wits, is dull. English has long made this kind of insult by putting a descriptive adjective in front of "head," as with blockhead and hardhead, and "dullhead" follows the same pattern for a person lacking quickness of mind.

Synonyms: blockhead, dunce, dolt, numskull, simpleton