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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DULT, n. Sc. form of Eng. dolt. Also †dul(l)ts. A stupid person, a fool (Sc. 1818 Sawers Dict. Sc. Lang., 1825 Jam.²; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928); Cai. 1900 E.D.D., Rnf. 1950; Lnk. 1949 (per Mearns⁶); Ayr. 1920 (per Mry.²); Kcb.¹⁰ 1950); specif. applied to the pupil at the foot of a class, the dunce (Gsw.¹ 1940; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 187, dullts); also used to indicate the bottom of the class. Dim. dultie.Per. 1753 A. Nicol Rural Muse 25:
But yet I wou'dnae for a colt, Say, or hae't said, I were a dult.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xxvi.:
He aye sat at the head of the form. . . . Nobody could suppose that an only bairn, born to me in lawful wedlock, could be a dult.Gsw. 1863 J. Young Ingle Nook 48:
Dultie Davie . . . Whose silly ways no flogging could disperse.Lnk. 1895 W. C. Fraser Whaups of Durley iii.:
The scholar at the foot of the class, “dults” he was called.Ayr. 1826 R. Hetrick Poems 22:
Wi' them the simplest dults and fools Can make it prime.Kcb.⁶ c.1916:
He was dult. He was sent doon dult. Children spoke of “second dult” and “third dult”, a mode of reckoning that started from the foot of the class.Dmf. 1806 Scots Mag. (March) 206:
Neist took in han' my loofs to scult, An' rax me down frae Dux to Dult.

Hence dultish, foolish, stupid.Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 56:
Yet, Sandy, tho' dultish, had that meikle sense To be greedy o' gear.