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

• IPA^(key): /dəˈmɪnjən/, /doʊˈmɪnjən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnjən
• Hyphenation: do‧min‧ion

Noun

dominion (countable and uncountable, 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.

   • (Can we date this quote by Jowett and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     To choose between dominion or slavery.

2. predominance; ascendancy
   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     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

   • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], OCLC 55746801, page 137:

     Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion!

4. (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)
• Danish: herredømme n, magt c
• Egyptian: (wꜣs m)
• Finnish: valta (fi), herruus (fi)
• French: domination (fr) m
• Galician: dominio m
• German: Herrschaft (de) f, Oberherrschaft (de) f, Vorherrschaft (de) f

• Hausa: mulki
• Hindi: डोमीनियन (hi) f (ḍomīniyan)
• Latin: dominium (la) n
• Macedonian: надмоќ f (nadmoḱ), превласт f (prevlast)
• Romanian: dominație (ro) f
• Russian: власть (ru) f (vlastʹ)
• Sanskrit: क्षत्र (sa) n (kṣatra)

a kingdom, nation, or other sphere of influence

• Bulgarian: доминион (bg) m (dominion)
• Catalan: domini (ca) m
• Danish: dominion c
• Finnish: maa-alue (fi)
• German: Herrschaftsgebiet (de) n, Machtgebiet n, Einflussbereich (de) m, Dominion (de) n
• Hindi: डोमीनियन (hi) f (ḍomīniyan)
• Indonesian: domini
• Khmer: វិជិតរដ្ឋ (vi jit roth), វិជិតរាជ្យ (vi jit reach)
• Macedonian: доминио́н m (dominión), кралство n (kralstvo), царство n (carstvo)

• Manx: ard-rheam
• Maori: tominiana
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dominion m

  Nynorsk: dominion m

• Polish: królestwo (pl) n
• Russian: влады́чество (ru) n (vladýčestvo), доминио́н (ru) m (dominión), ца́рство (ru) n (cárstvo)
• 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.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.mi.njɔ̃/

Noun

dominion m (plural dominions)

1. dominion

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English dominion, from Latin dominium

Noun

dominion m (definite singular dominionen, indefinite plural dominioner or dominions, definite plural dominionene)

1. a dominion

Usage notes

The use of dominions as indefinite plural may be from Danish via Riksmål.

References

• “dominion” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “dominion” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English dominion, from Latin dominium

Noun

dominion m (definite singular dominionen, indefinite plural dominionar, definite plural dominionane)

1. a dominion

References

• “dominion” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.