different between dunce vs oaf

English

Etymology

1530, named after John Duns Scotus (c. 1266–1308).

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 stupid person.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?ns/
• Rhymes: -?ns

Noun

dunce (plural dunces)

1. An unintelligent person.

   Synonyms: idiot; see also Thesaurus:idiot

   • 1855, Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, XXX:

     [...] Dunce, / Dotard, a-dozing at the very nonce, / After a life spent training for the sight!

Derived terms

• dunce cap
• duncedom
• dunce hat
• duncehood
• duncelike
• duncely
• duncish/dunceish

Translations

Further reading

• “dunce”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

References

English

Alternative forms

• auf

Etymology

From auf, Old Norse álfr (“elf”) (whence Norwegian Bokmål alv). Doublet of elf.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??f/
• (US) IPA^(key): /o?f/
• Rhymes: -??f

Noun

oaf (plural oafs or oaves)

1. (derogatory) A person, especially a large male, who is clumsy or a simpleton.

   Ouch! You dropped that box on my feet, you lumbering oaf!

2. (obsolete) An elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins, hence, a deformed or foolish child.

Synonyms

• (clumsy or idiotic person): dummy, galoot, imbecile, lout, moron, fool

Derived terms

• oafish

Translations

References

Further reading

• oaf at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• FAO, Foa, OFA, fao, of a