Old Dominion

English

Etymology

Perhaps from the former designation of the colony as the Colony and Dominion of Virginia. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Old Dominion

1. The nickname given by Charles II of England to the Colony of Virgina, now the official nickname for the state of Virginia in the United States of America [from c. 1650]
   • 2011, Colin Woodard, chapter 17, in American nations, New York: Penguin, →ISBN:

     Attracted by better soils, cheap and properly surveyed land, and easier access to markets, hundreds of thousands fled Virginia in the first half of the nineteenth century, causing the Old Dominion to cease to be the most populous state in the Union.

Related terms

• Colony and Dominion of Virginia [c. 1700]

References

• Old Dominion on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “Old Dominion”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.