dunsel

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) 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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌnsəl/
• Hyphenation: dun‧sel

Noun

dunsel (plural dunsels)

1. (nautical) Something (especially part of a vessel) that is useless, or superfluous or unnecessary.
   • 1982, Marteen Dee Graham, Silver Sundown, New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing, →ISBN, page 42:

     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 […]

   • 2007, Mark S. Kadrich, “Linux”, in Endpoint Security, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Addison-Wesley, →ISBN, pages 229 and 234:

     [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.

   • 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, →ISBN:

     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.

2. (nautical, by extension) A captain of a vessel who has little or no authority.
   • [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, →ISBN:

     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.”]

   • [2005, Kevin J[ames] Anderson, Scattered Suns (The Saga of Seven Suns; book 4), New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, →ISBN, glossary:

     DUNSEL – slang term for token human commanders aboard EDF [Earth Defense Force] rammer ships.]

   • 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, →ISBN, page 290:

     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"^{[sic – meaning Dunsel]} in the sense of no longer having any function. He is suffering from the same state of lacked recognition that Gwent talks about.

See also

• dunsel cap (appears to be unrelated)