Dunsel
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary.
"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 […]"
- 2 A captain of a vessel who has little or no practical use. broadly
"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.”"
Example
More examples"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 […]"
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". Was coined by a writer for the original "Star Trek" series (Episode name: The Ultimate Computer.").
Related phrases
More for "dunsel"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.