Dome

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dəʊm/

Definitions

1. A rounded vault or hemispherical roof that covers a large open space
2. A hemispherical architectural element that serves as a covering for spaces while also adding visual interest to buildings
3. A curved structural form shaped like a half sphere designed to enclose or cap an area

Etymology: The most striking thing about "dome" is that its Latin ancestor "domus" meant nothing grander than "house," and the word's journey runs through Italian cathedral-building. Its earliest form is a Latin phrase, "domus ecclesiae," meaning "house of the church." That phrase was itself a translation of the Greek "oikos tes ekklesias," so the idea of a dome began as a plain house for a congregation. From Latin, the phrase became "duomo" in Italian, the common name for a cathedral, and the most famous example is Florence's great cathedral. The term then passed into Middle French as "dome" or "domme," and English borrowed it from there. Over time, the name shifted from the whole church to the rounded roof that crowned its central space, so a word for a building became a word for one architectural feature. Because "dome" and "duomo" both descend from "domus," they are doublets: two forms of one ancestor that reached English by different routes. "Domus" itself survives in English mainly in words like "domestic" and "domicile," which keep the older sense of home.

Synonyms: arch, vault, cupola

Antonyms: flat