LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

domina

domina f (genitive dominae, masculine dominus)
Classical[ˈdɔ.mɪ.na]Ecclesiastical[ˈdɔː.mi.na]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininelady or mistress of the house

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

fēmina, quae domuī imperat; ancillae dominae pārent.
domina -ae f — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativedominadominae
genitivedominaedominārum
dativedominaedominīs
dominābus
accusativedominamdominās
ablativedominādominīs
dominābus
vocativedominadominae

dŏmĭna, ae (dat. and
I. abl. plur. only dominis, Curt. 3, 12, 8; Inscr. Orell. 1629), f. dominus.
I. Prop., mistress, she who rules or commands, esp. in a household, = hera, materfamilias, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 107; id. Stich. 2, 1, 24; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 57; Quint. 5, 11, 34 sq.; Ov. M. 4, 5; Juv. 6, 376; 377 al. —
II. In gen., like the Gr. δέσποινα, a mistress, lady: sit sane Fors domina campi, Cic. Pis. 2; cf.: haec una virtus omnium est domina et regina virtutum, id. Off. 3, 6, 28: voluptates blandissimae dominae, id. ib. 2, 10, 37: cupiditas honoris, imperii, provinciarum quam dura est domina! id. Par. 5, 2 fin.: juncti currum dominae subiere leones, i. e. of Cybele, Verg. A. 3, 113; 438; of Venus, Ov. A. A. 1, 148; Prop. 3, 3, 31 (4, 2, 31 M.); of Juno, id. 2, 5, 17; of Diana, Mart. 12, 18; of Isis, Inscr. Grut. 82, 2; cf. Inscr. Orell. 1884; Vulg. Gen. 16, 4 al.—
b. As adj.: domina Urbs, the queen city, Mart. 12, 21, 9.—
B. In partic.
1. The appellation of a lady belonging to the imperial family, Suet. Dom. 13; id. Claud. 39.—
2. A term of endearment,
a. Wife, Verg. A. 6, 397 Serv.; Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 9; 5, 5, 7; Inscr. Orell. 2663.—
b. Sweetheart, Tib. 1, 1, 46; 3, 4, 74; Prop. 1, 4, 2 et saep.

Origins

Feminine of dominus. If Oscan διομανας (diomanas, gen. sg.) is cognate, one can reconstruct Proto-Italic *domVnā with an uncertain second vowel; see its entry for discussion.

Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Italiandamafrom Old French dame
  • Englishdamefrom Old French dame
  • Englishdamfrom Old French dame
  • Frenchdamefrom Old French dame
  • Catalandamafrom Old French dame
  • GermanDamefrom Old French dame
  • Portuguesedamafrom Old French dame
  • Romaniandamăfrom Old French dame
  • Spanishdamafrom Old French dame
  • Bourguignondaimefrom Old French dame
Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalandona
  • Occitandònafrom Old Occitan domna
  • Occitandaunafrom Old Occitan domna
  • Occitandonaisèlafrom Old Occitan domna
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesedona
  • SpanishDoña
  • Spanishdoña
  • Spanishdueña
  • Galiciandona
  • Siciliangnafrom Spanish Doña
Italo-Romance
  • Italiandonna
  • Englishdonnafrom Italian donna
  • Corsicandonna
  • Corsicanlonna
  • Corsicanronna
  • Istriotduona
  • Swedishdonnafrom Italian donna
  • Siciliandonna
Borrowings
  • Englishdomina
  • GermanDomina
  • Esperantodamo
  • Idodamo
Balkan Romance
  • Romaniandoamnă
  • Aromaniandoamnã
Sardinian
  • Sardiniandòna
Padanian
  • Friuliandone
  • Romanshdunna
  • Venetandona
Gallo-Italic
  • Emiliandòna

In English words that came into English from domina

  • damsel*domnicella
  • damedomina
  • duennadonna
  • dominadomina

Quick answers

What does domina mean in Latin?
domina, a noun, means “lady or mistress of the house”.
What is the genitive of domina?
The genitive singular is dominae. domina is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce domina?
In classical Latin, [ˈdɔ.mɪ.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈdɔː.mi.na].
Which English words come from domina?
English words that go back to Latin domina include dame, domina, damsel and duenna.