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dunce

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also:dūncè

English

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Etymology

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1530, named afterJohn Duns Scotus (c. 1266–1308).^[1] Scotus was ironically a well-known Scottish thinker; his followers, however, opposed the philosophers of the Renaissance, and thus "dunce" was first used to describe someone rejecting new knowledge in 1530; later, any person deemed stupid.^[1]

Pronunciation

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IPA^(key): /dʌns/
Audio(Southern England): (file)
Rhymes:-ʌns

Noun

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dunce (pluraldunces)

Anunintelligentperson.
Synonyms:idiot;see alsoThesaurus:idiot
- c.1713,Jonathan Swift, “Thoughts on Various Subjects”, inThe Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, volume 5:
  When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign; that thedunces are all in confederacy against him.
- 1855,Robert Browning,Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XXX:
  [...]Dunce, / Dotard, a-dozing at the very nonce, / After a life spent training for the sight!