Dun
(Dun) v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Dunned (dund); p. pr. & vb. n. Dunning ] [AS. dyne noise, dynian
to make a noise, or fr. Icel. dynr, duna, noise, thunder, duna to thunder; the same word as E. din.
&radic74. See Din.] To ask or beset, as a debtor, for payment; to urge importunately.
Hath she sent so soon to dun?
Swift. Dun
(Dun), n.
1. One who duns; a dunner.
To be pulled by the sleeve by some rascally dun.
Arbuthnot. 2. An urgent request or demand of payment; as, he sent his debtor a dun.
Dun
(Dun), a. [AS. dunn, of Celtic origin; cf. W. dwn, Ir. & Gael. donn.] Of a dark color; of a color
partaking of a brown and black; of a dull brown color; swarthy.
Summer's dun cloud comes thundering up.
Pierpont.
Chill and dun
Falls on the moor the brief November day.
Keble. Dun crow (Zoöl.), the hooded crow; — so called from its color; — also called hoody, and hoddy. —
Dun diver (Zoöl.), the goosander or merganser.
Dunbird
(Dun"bird`) n. [Named from its color.] (Zoöl.) (a) The pochard; — called also dunair, and dunker,
or dun- curre. (b) An American duck; the ruddy duck.
Dunce
(Dunce) n. [From Joannes Duns Scotus, a schoolman called the Subtle Doctor, who died in
1308. Originally in the phrase "a Duns man". See Note below.] One backward in book learning; a child
or other person dull or weak in intellect; a dullard; a dolt.
I never knew this town without dunces of figure.
Swift. The schoolmen were often called, after their great leader Duns Scotus, Dunsmen or Duncemen. In
the revival of learning they were violently opposed to classical studies; hence, the name of Dunce was
applied with scorn and contempt to an opposer of learning, or to one slow at learning, a dullard.
Duncedom
(Dunce"dom) n. The realm or domain of dunces. [Jocose] Carlyle.
Duncery
(Dun"cer*y) n. Dullness; stupidity.
Duncical
(Dun"ci*cal) a. Like a dunce; duncish.
The most dull and duncical commissioner.
Fuller. Duncify
(Dun"ci*fy) v. t. [Dunce + -fy.] To make stupid in intellect. [R.] Bp. Warburton.
