English Reference

Word

duncan

Phoneticsdun·can

/ˈdəŋkən/

Definitions

01a male given name

A1

n. a common first name for a man, originally from Scotland.

n. a masculine given name anglicised from the Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh, meaning 'brown warrior'.

“Duncan and his brother went to the park to play football.”

“The historical King Duncan I of Scotland is famously portrayed as a wise and elderly monarch in Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth.”

02a surname

A1

n. a family name or last name of Scottish or Irish origin.

n. a common surname of Scottish and Irish origin, often functioning as a patronymic.

“Ms. Duncan is the new science teacher at our local high school.”

“The Duncan family has resided in this particular region of the Scottish Highlands for several generations, according to local parish records.”

Etymology

* As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from Donnchadh, a name composed of donn (“brown”) + cath (“battle”). Also spelled as Donagh and Donaghue, Donahue. * Also as an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Duinnchinn, from donn (“brown”) + ceann (“head”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Common
Updated

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English Reference