dull

English

/dʌl/, /dʌl/

adj
Definitions
  • Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
  • Boring; not exciting or interesting.
  • Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness.
  • Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.
  • Sluggish, listless.
  • Cloudy, overcast.
  • Insensible; unfeeling.
  • Heavy; lifeless; inert.
  • (of pain etc) Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly.
  • of a noise or sound Not clear, muffled.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English dull inherited from Old English dol (foolish, silly, dull, heretical, erring, presumptuous) inherited from Proto-Germanic *dulaz (foolish, stupid, crazy, dazed) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-.

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*dʰwel-

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms