dominion

[duh-min-yuhn]

noun

1. the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.

2. rule; control; domination.

3. a territory, usually of considerable size, in which a single rulership holds sway.

4. lands or domains subject to sovereignty or control.

5. 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.

6. Theology.,  dominions, domination.

dominion

/ dəˈmɪnjən /

noun

1. rule; authority

2. the land governed by one ruler or government

3. sphere of influence; area of control

4. a name formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire

5. New Zealand

6. law a less common word for dominium

Other Word Forms

• interdominion adjective
• self-dominion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dominion¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin dominiōn- (unrecorded), stem of dominiō (unrecorded) “lordship,” from Latin domin(ium) dominium + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of dominion¹

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

Example Sentences

Still, the line between metaphor and mandate can blur, especially when rhetoric about “dominion” intersects with political and cultural action.

From Salon

It also showed that "there was no point in having a dominion status under the empire when the British cannot be expected to deal with their subjects fairly", adds Pushpa.

From BBC

AB 1506 defines “possession” of a weapon as being “under the civilian’s dominion and control at the time of the shooting.”

From Los Angeles Times

When Britain’s global turn came in the nineteenth century, its naval dominion over the world’s oceans was softened by an enticing cultural ethos of commerce, language, literature, and even sports.

From Salon

If another male approaches, the presiding reptile will do “push-ups” to assert dominion over its realm.

From Los Angeles Times