Why did the word dunce become connected with followers of John Duns Scotus?

The term "dunce" is ironically derived from the name of the brilliant medieval philosopher John Duns Scotus. Despite his reputation as "the Subtle Doctor," his followers—known as "dunsmen" or "duns"—became targets of ridicule during the 16th century.12

This shift in meaning occurred because these followers were seen as a conservative academic faction that resisted the new learning of humanism. Furthermore, Duns Scotus’s strong defense of the papacy made him and his school unpopular with English reformers of that era. Consequently, the term "dunsman" evolved into a word of scorn, initially signifying a "sophist" or "pedant" before gradually shifting to its modern definition of a "slow-witted person".12