dull

dull
\ \ [13] Dull originally meant ‘slow-witted’. It was borrowed from Middle Low German dul, a descendant of the prehistoric Germanic adjective *dulaz, which also produced German toll and Old English dolstupid’ (the Old English adjective does not seem to have survived beyond the 10th century). The modern meaning ‘boring’ developed in the 15th century. The now littleused dullard [15] is a derivative (reflecting the adjective’s original sense), as also is probably dolt [16].
\ \ Cf.DOLT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Dull — Dull, a. [Compar. {Duller}; superl. {Dullest}.] [AS. dol foolish; akin to gedwelan to err, D. dol mad, dwalen to wander, err, G. toll mad, Goth. dwals foolish, stupid, cf. Gr. ? turbid, troubled, Skr. dhvr to cause to fall. Cf. {Dolt}, {Dwale},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dull — adj 1 *stupid, slow, dumb, dense, crass Analogous words: *lethargic, sluggish, comatose: phlegmatic, stolid, *impassive, apathetic: *backward: retarded (see DELAY vb) Antonyms: clever, bright …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • dull — [dul] adj. [ME dul < OE dol, stupid, akin to Ger toll < IE * dh(e)wel < base * dheu , blow, be turbid > DUMB, DWELL, OIr dall, blind, Gr thanatos, death] 1. mentally slow; stupid 2. lacking sensitivity; blunted in feeling or… …   English World dictionary

  • Dull —    DULL, a parish, in the county of Perth, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Aberfeldy; containing, with parts of the late quoad sacra parishes of Foss and Tenandry, and part of the village of Aberfeldy, 3811 inhabitants, of whom 145 are in the village of… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • dull — [dʌl] adjective JOURNALISM if business on a financial market is dull, not many people are buying or selling: • Shares closed lower in dull trading. • Investors were busy moving in and out of two year Treasury notes yesterday, providing a bit of… …   Financial and business terms

  • Dull — may refer to: Boring Dull, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom Dull Gret, a figure of Flemish folklore People with the surname Dull: Jack Dull (1930 1995), professor at the University of Washington John Dull (21st century), American… …   Wikipedia

  • dull — [adj1] unintelligent addled, backward, besotted, boring, brainless, daffy, daft, dense, dim, dim witted, doltish, dumb, feeble minded, half baked, ignorant, imbecilic, indolent, insensate, low, moronic, not bright, numskulled, obtuse,… …   New thesaurus

  • Düll — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Heinrich Düll (1867–1956), deutscher Bildhauer und Musiker der Prinzregentenzeit Rudolf Düll (1887–1979), deutscher Jurist Ruprecht Düll (* 1931), deutscher Botaniker Siehe auch Privatbrauerei Friedrich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dull — Dull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Duller}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dulling}.] 1. To deprive of sharpness of edge or point. This . . . dulled their swords. Bacon. [1913 Webster] Borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To make dull, stupid …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dull — (adj.) c.1200, stupid; early 13c., blunt, not sharp; rare before mid 14c., apparently from O.E. dol dull witted, foolish, or an unrecorded parallel word, or from M.L.G. dul slow witted, both from P.Gmc. *dulaz (Cf. O.Fris., O.S. dol foolish,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Dull — Dull, v. i. To become dull or stupid. Rom. of R. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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