dome

UK/dəʊm/US/dәum/

IELTSGREB2

Definitions

A rounded, hemispherical roof or vault.

圆顶，穹顶。

Something shaped like a dome.

穹形物，半球形物。

Root Breakdown

Root-derived

domehouse, master, rule, tame

=dome

From Italian duomo (cathedral), itself from Latin domus (house) — a cathedral being the domus Dei, "the house of God." English took the word for the great rounded roof crowning such buildings, so a dome is etymologically "the lid of God's house."

Root dom still carries 40 more words

Why It Means This

Dome hides its "house" origin well. The path is domus (house) → Italian duomo (the cathedral, "God's house") → the striking rounded roof those cathedrals were famous for. So when English borrowed dome, it had already shifted from "house" to "the roof that tops the house of God."

Example Sentences

1.
The cathedral's golden dome gleamed in the sun.
2.
A glass dome covers the central courtyard.
3.
The bald man's head had a smooth dome.

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