baldpate
|bald-pate|
/ˈbɔːldpeɪt/
bald head
Etymology
'baldpate' is an English compound formed from 'bald' + 'pate', where 'bald' comes from Old English roots meaning 'lacking hair' and 'pate' was a Middle English word for 'head' (from Old French influence).
'baldpate' appears in Early Modern English (from at least the 16th–17th century) as the hyphenated or spaced form 'bald-pate' or 'bald pate' and later consolidated into the single word 'baldpate'.
Initially it meant simply 'a bald-headed person'; over time it acquired a figurative sense 'a fool or simpleton' and was also used as a common name for certain wigeon (duck) species.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who is bald; a bald-headed person.
He was a cheerful old baldpate who loved to tell stories.
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Noun 2
an old-fashioned or humorous term for a fool or simpleton.
Don't be a baldpate—think before you act.
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Noun 3
a wigeon (a kind of duck); historically used as a name for certain species of wigeon.
A pair of baldpate fed along the riverbank at dawn.
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Last updated: 2026/01/05 00:02