dome

American  

[dohm] / doʊm /

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. a vault, having a circular plan and usually in the form of a portion of a sphere, so constructed as to exert an equal thrust in all directions.

   2. a domical roof or ceiling.

   3. a polygonal vault, ceiling, or roof.

2. any covering thought to resemble the hemispherical vault of a building or room.

   the great dome of the sky.

3. anything shaped like a hemisphere or inverted bowl.

4. (in a dam) a semidome having its convex surface toward the impounded water.

5. Crystallography.  a form having planes that intersect the vertical axis and are parallel to one of the lateral axes.

6. Geology.  upwarp.

7. Also called vistadome.  Railroads.  a raised, glass-enclosed section of the roof of a passenger car, placed over an elevated section of seats to afford passengers a full view of scenery.

8. Horology.  an inner cover for the works of a watch, which snaps into the rim of the case.

9. a mountain peak having a rounded summit.

10. Slang.  a person's head.

    I wish I could get the idea into that thick dome of yours.

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verb (used with object)

domed, doming

1. to cover with or as if with a dome.

2. to shape like a dome.

verb (used without object)

domed, doming

1. to rise or swell as a dome.

dome British  

/ dəʊm, ˈdəʊmɪkəl, ˈdɒm- /

noun

1. a hemispherical roof or vault or a structure of similar form

2. something shaped like this

3. crystallog a crystal form in which two planes intersect along an edge parallel to a lateral axis

4. a slang word for the head

5. geology

   1. a structure in which rock layers slope away in all directions from a central point

   2. another name for pericline

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verb

1. to cover with or as if with a dome

2. to shape like a dome

dome Scientific  

/ dōm /

1. A circular or elliptical area of uplifted rock in which the rock dips gently away, in all directions, from a central point.

2. A wedge-shaped mineral crystal that has two nonparallel, similarly inclined faces that intersect along a plane of symmetry.

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Other Word Forms

• domelike adjective
• domical adjective

Etymology

Origin of dome

1505–15; < Middle French dome < Italian duomo < Medieval Latin domus ( Deī ) house (of God), church; akin to timber

Example Sentences

Below the domes and spires of a colonial metropolis, a discernible transfer of power is evident, as khadi-clad Congress volunteers outnumber pith-helmeted policemen and army soldiers.

From BBC

Since the end of apartheid, the club has weathered several crises, including a fire in June 2005 that destroyed much of the building, together with a stained-glass dome above the central staircase.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You can think of it as a dome, why not?”

From Los Angeles Times

On both sides of the border, we experience heat domes, forest fires and sea level rise.

From Seattle Times

Crocs have many little holes all over their snouts, called dome pressure sensor pores, which are part of their sensory system.

From Science Magazine