What does dunce cap mean?

Definitions for dunce cap
dunce cap

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word dunce cap.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. dunce cap, dunce's cap, fool's capnoun

    a cone-shaped paper hat formerly placed on the head of slow or lazy pupils

Wiktionary

  1. dunce capnoun

    A conical hat one pupil is forced to wear to indicate he is a dunce.

  2. dunce capnoun

    The topological space obtained by identifying the sides comprising the boundary of a triangle, two sides with consistent orientation and the third with the reverse orientation.

Wikipedia

  1. dunce cap

    Dunce is a mild insult in English meaning "a person who is slow at learning or stupid". The etymology given by Richard Stanyhurst is that the word is derived from the name of the Scottish Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus.

ChatGPT

  1. dunce cap

    A dunce cap, also referred to as a dunce hat, is a conical hat, traditionally tall and pointed, that was used to punish people, especially students, by openly signaling their ignorance or foolishness. The term originates from John Duns Scotus, a philosopher whose ideas were widely misunderstood and ridiculed. Today, the dunce cap is more associated with humor and jest than serious punishment.

Wikidata

  1. Dunce cap

    A dunce cap, also variously known as a dunce hat, dunce's cap, or dunce's hat, is a pointed hat. In popular culture, it is typically made of paper and often marked with a D or the word "dunce", and given to schoolchildren to wear as punishment by public humiliation for misbehavior and, as the name implies, stupidity. Frequently the 'dunce' was made to stand in the corner, facing the wall as a result of some bad behaviour, usually rudeness or mean threatening actions. Depending on the teacher, they might have to stand for as long as half an hour. Throwing spitballs, passing notes, or pulling on a hair could prompt the measure. Class clowns were frequently admonished with the dunce cap. Only in some locations was it used against those who failed during studies – it usually was more a measure to teach manners and how to be a responsible individual. In modern society dunce caps are extremely rare, and are frowned upon. A very similar practice on the European continent was a paper headdress known as donkey's ears, as a symbol of 'asinine' stupidity.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of dunce cap in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of dunce cap in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4


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"dunce cap." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/dunce+cap>.

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