dominion

[duh-min-yuh n]

See more synonyms for dominion on Thesaurus.com

noun

the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.
rule; control; domination.
a territory, usually of considerable size, in which a single rulership holds sway.

lands or domains subject to sovereignty or control.
Government. a territory constituting a self-governing commonwealth and being one of a number of such territories united in a community of nations, or empire: formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire, as Canada and New Zealand.
dominions, Theology. domination(def 3).

Origin of dominion

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin *dominiōn- (stem of *dominiō) lordship, equivalent to Latin domin(ium) dominium + -iōn- -ion

Related formsin·ter·do·min·ion, adjectiveself-do·min·ion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dominion

control, domain, regimentation, jurisdiction, terrain, walk, supremacy, sphere, regiment, seniority, empire, management, realm, district, field, prerogative, commission, state, privilege, sovereignty

Examples from the Web for dominion

Contemporary Examples of dominion

As for money, “we calmly accept its dominion over ourselves and our societies.”
Pope Francis Declares Consumers and Capitalists Need to Help the Poor
Daniel Gross
November 26, 2013
The plants operated by Dominion will primarily use leftovers from nearby timbering work for the biomass fuel.
Dominion Completes Conversion of Coal Plant to Biomass in Virginia
William O’Connor
July 19, 2013
Recently Republican-dominated, today the Dominion State has two centrist Democrat senators, and Obama has won the state twice.
Memo to the GOP: It’s Time to Listen to Your Elders
John Avlon
May 29, 2013
After that, Williams says, the CIA ordered her to Dominion Hospital.
Lynnae Williams: The CIA Spy Who Tweets
Eli Lake
March 29, 2012
Having spent a lot of time in conservative churches, one of the first questions I get is about dominion.
Santorum Obliquely Suggests Obama Worships Earth, Not God
Kirsten Powers
February 21, 2012

Historical Examples of dominion

John had been under her dominion, and proceeded to persuade her.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
He must get the dominion over circumstance, or circumstance must get the dominion over him.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
It contemplates his dominion as infinite, and his will as the law of nature and of nations.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
We have risen with him, and death has henceforth no dominion over us.
Miracles of Our Lord
George MacDonald
It towers above me with a cone-shaped top, a figure of might and dominion.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby

British Dictionary definitions for dominion

dominion

noun

rule; authority
the land governed by one ruler or government
sphere of influence; area of control
a name formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire
theDominion New Zealand
law a less common word for dominium

Word Origin for dominion

C15: from Old French, from Latin dominium ownership, from dominus master

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dominion

early 15c., from Old French dominion "dominion, rule, power," from Medieval Latin dominionem (nominative dominio), corresponding to Latin dominium "property, ownership," from dominus (see domination).

British sovereign colonies often were called dominions, hence the Dominion of Canada, the formal title after the 1867 union, and Old Dominion, the popular name for the U.S. state of Virginia, first recorded 1778.