Etymograph

English

dome

Dome comes from Middle French dome, and goes back to Latin domus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdomus1literally ‘house (of the church)’
  2. Italianc. 1300–presentduomo1
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600dome1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1726dome1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English dome
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1726, Alexander Pope: “Approach the dome, the social banquet share.”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdomusWiktionary, English domeliterally ‘house (of the church)’
  2. Italianc. 1300–presentduomoWiktionary, English dome
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600domeWiktionary, English dome
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1726domeWiktionary, English dome. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1726, Alexander Pope: “Approach the dome, the social banquet share.”

The story

Borrowed from Middle French dome, domme (modern French dôme), from Italian duomo, from Latin domus (ecclesiae) (literally “house (of the church)”), a calque of Ancient Greek οἶκος τῆς ἐκκλησίας (oîkos tês ekklēsías).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin domus

donna, dominion, domicile, domus, 10 more

through Italian duomo

duomo

Today it means

noun A structural element resembling the hollow upper half of a sphere.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “dome”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin domus / dome

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