dominion

See also: Dominion

English

Etymology

From Middle English dominion, from Middle French dominion, from Medieval Latin dominio, equiv. to Latin dominium (“lordship, right of ownership”), from dominus (“lord”), from domus (“house”). See domain, demain, demesne.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnjən

Noun

dominion (plural dominions)

1. Power or the use of power; sovereignty over something; stewardship, supremacy.
   • Bible, Daniel iv. 34

     I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.

   • Jowett

     To choose between dominion or slavery.

2. predominance; ascendancy
   • Dryden

     Objects placed foremost ought […] have dominion over things confused and transient.

3. (sometimes figuratively) A kingdom, nation, or other sphere of influence; governed territory.

   the dominions of a king

   the dominion of the passions

4. (historical) One of the dependencies of the British Empire given self-government and eventually independence, such as Canada, Newfoundland, or the Irish Free State.
5. (Biblical tradition) An order of angel in Christian angelology, ranked above angels and below thrones.
   • Bible, Colossians 1:16

     By him were all things created […] whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.

Related terms

• dominate
• domination
• dominator
• domineering
• domino

Translations

power or the use of power; sovereignty over something

• Bulgarian: суверенна власт (suverenna vlast)
• Finnish: valta (fi), herruus (fi)
• French: domination (fr) f
• German: Herrschaft (de) f, Herrschaftsgebiet (de) n, Eigentumsrecht n, Machtgebiet n, Dominion n

• Hausa: mulki
• Macedonian: надмоќ f (nádmoḱ), превласт f (prévlast)
• Romanian: dominație (ro) f

a kingdom, nation, or other sphere of influence

• Bulgarian: доминион (bg) m (dominion)
• Finnish: maa-alue (fi)
• Khmer: វិជិតរដ្ឋ (vi jit roth), វិជិតរាជ្យ (vi jit reach)
• Macedonian: доминион m (dominión), кралство n (králstvo), царство n (cárstvo)
• Manx: ard-rheam

• Maori: tominiana
• Polish: królestwo (pl) n
• Scottish Gaelic: flathas m
• Spanish: dominio (es) m

Further reading

• dominion in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• dominion in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Finnish

Noun

dominion

1. Genitive singular form of dominio.