Etymograph

English

domination

Domination comes from Latin dominātiō ‘rule, dominion’, from dominus ‘lord, master’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dem- ‘to build (up)’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dem-1‘to build (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dṓm1‘home’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*domanos1‘master’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominus1‘lord, master’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominor2‘domineer’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominātiō2‘rule, dominion’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dominacion2
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500domynacion2
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596domination2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin dominor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English domination
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “[...] thou and thine vſurpe / The Dominations, Royalties,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dem-Wiktionary, Latin dominor‘to build (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dṓmWiktionary, Latin dominor‘home’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*domanosWiktionary, Latin dominor‘master’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominusWiktionary, Latin dominor‘lord, master’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominorWiktionary, English domination‘domineer’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdominātiōWiktionary, English domination‘rule, dominion’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dominacionWiktionary, English domination
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500domynacionWiktionary, English domination
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596dominationWiktionary, English domination. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “[...] thou and thine vſurpe / The Dominations, Royalties,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dem- ‘to build (up)’

timber, despotic, toft, teem, domesticate, 23 more

through Proto-Indo-European *dṓm ‘home’

domestic, despot, domicile, domus, 23 more

through Proto-Italic *domanos ‘master’

domaine, 6 more

through Latin dominus ‘lord, master’

do, danger, dan, don, dame, domain, dungeon, donna, damsel, 14 more

Today it means

noun Control by means of superior ability, influence, position, or resources; prevailing force.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “domination”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin dominor. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *dem- / domination

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