Tudor & Stuart · insult · noun
Addlepate
AD-ul-payt /ˈædlpeɪt/pronunciation reconstructed — no period source gives it
First recorded1601
A muddle-headed, foolish person. 'Addle' first meant liquid filth and then a rotten egg that will not hatch, so an addlepate has a head as empty and spoiled as an addled egg.
Where it was first recorded
The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington (Munday and Chettle, printed 1601), per the New English Dictionary.
Also spelled: addle-pate, addle pate
In its own time
I and my mates Like addle-pates.
Today
Modern exampleI'm such an addlepate this morning that I put the milk in the cupboard.
Fine to use; gentle and self-deprecating more often than cruel.
Questions
What does addlepate mean?
A muddle-headed, foolish person. 'Addle' first meant liquid filth and then a rotten egg that will not hatch, so an addlepate has a head as empty and spoiled as an addled egg.
When was addlepate first used?
It is first recorded 1601 — The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington (Munday and Chettle, printed 1601), per the New English Dictionary.
Can you still use addlepate today?
Fine to use; gentle and self-deprecating more often than cruel.
Sources
- Addle, sb. and a. (C. Comb.: addle-pate) — Murray's New English Dictionary (OED1), via WEHD
- addlepate — Merriam-Webster
- Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 ed.) — Francis Grose (Project Gutenberg #5402)
- addlepate — Wiktionary
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above