# Duns/Dunce Caps: um, source please?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duns-dunce-caps-um-source-please/161365>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 14, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duns-dunce-caps-um-source-please/161365 "2003-03-14T16:08:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ejh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@ejh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ejh)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duns-dunce-caps-um-source-please/161365/1 "2003-03-14T16:08:38Z")

</div>

I’d heard before that “Dunce” came from Duns Scotus, whose scholastic theology fell out of fashion in the Renaissance.

But never that _he personally advocated wearing pointy hats to increase one’s wisdom._

I’m not quite ready to call bull$hit on that… Let’s just say that I would _really really really_ be interested in seeing a primary source cited.

I’ve googled around for references on the web and authors just seem to be quoting each other.

Any clues?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ejh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@ejh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ejh)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duns-dunce-caps-um-source-please/161365/2 "2003-03-14T16:10:00Z")

</div>

Sorry, here’s the article URL: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mduncecap.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mduncecap.html)