"dunsel" meaning in All languages combined

See dunsel on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

IPA: /ˈdʌnsəl/ [General-American, Received-Pronunciation] Forms: dunsels [plural]
Etymology: Possible coinage as a variation of English dunnage as dun + -sel with the suffix indicating singulative or diminutive. Earliest so-far documented use was in a Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer." May not be a real word but merely an invention by a Star Trek writer. Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*dun-}}, {{m+|en|dunnage}} English dunnage, {{suffix|en|dun|sel}} dun + -sel Head templates: {{en-noun}} dunsel (plural dunsels)
  1. (nautical) Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary. Categories (topical): Nautical
    Sense id: en-dunsel-en-noun-zX6awnaO Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms suffixed with -sel Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 52 48 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 49 51 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -sel: 50 50 Topics: nautical, transport
  2. (nautical, by extension) A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority. Tags: broadly Categories (topical): Nautical, People
    Sense id: en-dunsel-en-noun-TI7VHJdn Disambiguation of People: 1 99 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms suffixed with -sel Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 52 48 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 49 51 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -sel: 50 50 Topics: nautical, transport
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: dunsel cap (english: appears to be unrelated)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for dunsel meaning in All languages combined (6.2kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dun-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dunnage"
      },
      "expansion": "English dunnage",
      "name": "m+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dun",
        "3": "sel"
      },
      "expansion": "dun + -sel",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Possible coinage as a variation of English dunnage as dun + -sel with the suffix indicating singulative or diminutive. Earliest so-far documented use was in a Star Trek episode \"The Ultimate Computer.\" May not be a real word but merely an invention by a Star Trek writer.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dunsels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "dunsel (plural dunsels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "dun‧sel"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "english": "appears to be unrelated",
      "word": "dunsel cap"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Nautical",
          "orig": "en:Nautical",
          "parents": [
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -sel",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1982, Marteen Dee Graham, Silver Sundown, New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing, page 42",
          "text": "If I'm not part of the crew and earn my keep, then I'm a dunsel. And you'll not have a dunsel aboard long […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Mark S. Kadrich, “Linux”, in Endpoint Security, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Addison-Wesley, pages 229 and 234",
          "text": "[page 229] For those of you who don't recognize the term, dunsel was a term first used in Star Trek to characterize Captain Kirk in the episode \"The Ultimate Computer.\" The plotline was about a scientist, Doctor Richard Daystrom, who installs a computer that is designed to operate the Enterprise without the need for the crew. The new M5 computer would enable mankind to explore the galaxy without putting human life in danger. Without a crew, a captain is pretty useless, and at one point Kirk was referred to as Captain Dunsel. […] Well, I'm using dunsel here to describe software or applications that don't need to be on your computer. […] [page 234] More than a few systems have been accessed via the guest account or other default accounts, so one thing we need to do is to remove all the dunsel default user accounts.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 September 2, Chris Mentch, “In the Face of Her Storm”, in As I See It: Reasons, Rhymes, and Reflections; the Spirit of a “Well-versed” Philosophy, Bloomington, Ind.: WestBow Press",
          "text": "I struggled down through the galley. / And again up to the mast. / I even checked on the dunsel, / Wrapped my girl's sails down, I wrapped 'em low and I wrapped 'em fast.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary."
      ],
      "id": "en-dunsel-en-noun-zX6awnaO",
      "links": [
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ],
        [
          "vessel",
          "vessel"
        ],
        [
          "useless",
          "useless"
        ],
        [
          "superfluous",
          "superfluous"
        ],
        [
          "unnecessary",
          "unnecessary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nautical) Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Nautical",
          "orig": "en:Nautical",
          "parents": [
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -sel",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "1 99",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[1968, D[orothy] C[atherine] Fontana, “The Ultimate Computer”, in Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 53 (DVD), Hollywood, Calif.: Paramount Pictures, published 2014",
          "text": "McCoy: “Who the blazes is ‘Captain Dunsel’?” / Spock: “Dunsel, Doctor, is a term used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy. It refers to a part which serves no useful purpose.”]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "[2005, Kevin J[ames] Anderson, Scattered Suns (The Saga of Seven Suns; book 4), New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, glossary",
          "text": "DUNSEL – slang term for token human commanders aboard EDF [Earth Defense Force] rammer ships.]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 January 10, “The Infernal Machine”, in John K. Balor, editor, SPACE: 1999 – The 40th Anniversary Celebration: A New Episode by Episode Commentary and Analysis by Online Alpha, Raleigh, N.C.: Lulu, published September 2015, page 290",
          "text": "In EARTHBOUND we have the exact same story. There is nothing wrong with Simmonds per se, but, just like Captain Kirk in THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER [a Star Trek episode], he has become \"Captain Dunsail\" in the sense of no longer having any function. He is suffering from the same state of lacked recognition that Gwent talks about.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority."
      ],
      "id": "en-dunsel-en-noun-TI7VHJdn",
      "links": [
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          "nautical",
          "nautical"
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        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nautical, by extension) A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈdʌnsəl/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dunsel"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dun-",
    "English terms suffixed with -sel",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "en:People"
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  "etymology_templates": [
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dun-"
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      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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      "expansion": "English dunnage",
      "name": "m+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dun",
        "3": "sel"
      },
      "expansion": "dun + -sel",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Possible coinage as a variation of English dunnage as dun + -sel with the suffix indicating singulative or diminutive. Earliest so-far documented use was in a Star Trek episode \"The Ultimate Computer.\" May not be a real word but merely an invention by a Star Trek writer.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dunsels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "dunsel (plural dunsels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "hyphenation": [
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "english": "appears to be unrelated",
      "word": "dunsel cap"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Nautical"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1982, Marteen Dee Graham, Silver Sundown, New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing, page 42",
          "text": "If I'm not part of the crew and earn my keep, then I'm a dunsel. And you'll not have a dunsel aboard long […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Mark S. Kadrich, “Linux”, in Endpoint Security, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Addison-Wesley, pages 229 and 234",
          "text": "[page 229] For those of you who don't recognize the term, dunsel was a term first used in Star Trek to characterize Captain Kirk in the episode \"The Ultimate Computer.\" The plotline was about a scientist, Doctor Richard Daystrom, who installs a computer that is designed to operate the Enterprise without the need for the crew. The new M5 computer would enable mankind to explore the galaxy without putting human life in danger. Without a crew, a captain is pretty useless, and at one point Kirk was referred to as Captain Dunsel. […] Well, I'm using dunsel here to describe software or applications that don't need to be on your computer. […] [page 234] More than a few systems have been accessed via the guest account or other default accounts, so one thing we need to do is to remove all the dunsel default user accounts.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 September 2, Chris Mentch, “In the Face of Her Storm”, in As I See It: Reasons, Rhymes, and Reflections; the Spirit of a “Well-versed” Philosophy, Bloomington, Ind.: WestBow Press",
          "text": "I struggled down through the galley. / And again up to the mast. / I even checked on the dunsel, / Wrapped my girl's sails down, I wrapped 'em low and I wrapped 'em fast.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ],
        [
          "vessel",
          "vessel"
        ],
        [
          "useless",
          "useless"
        ],
        [
          "superfluous",
          "superfluous"
        ],
        [
          "unnecessary",
          "unnecessary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nautical) Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Nautical"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[1968, D[orothy] C[atherine] Fontana, “The Ultimate Computer”, in Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 53 (DVD), Hollywood, Calif.: Paramount Pictures, published 2014",
          "text": "McCoy: “Who the blazes is ‘Captain Dunsel’?” / Spock: “Dunsel, Doctor, is a term used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy. It refers to a part which serves no useful purpose.”]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "[2005, Kevin J[ames] Anderson, Scattered Suns (The Saga of Seven Suns; book 4), New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, glossary",
          "text": "DUNSEL – slang term for token human commanders aboard EDF [Earth Defense Force] rammer ships.]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 January 10, “The Infernal Machine”, in John K. Balor, editor, SPACE: 1999 – The 40th Anniversary Celebration: A New Episode by Episode Commentary and Analysis by Online Alpha, Raleigh, N.C.: Lulu, published September 2015, page 290",
          "text": "In EARTHBOUND we have the exact same story. There is nothing wrong with Simmonds per se, but, just like Captain Kirk in THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER [a Star Trek episode], he has become \"Captain Dunsail\" in the sense of no longer having any function. He is suffering from the same state of lacked recognition that Gwent talks about.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ],
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          "captain",
          "captain"
        ],
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          "authority",
          "authority"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nautical, by extension) A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈdʌnsəl/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dunsel"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.