Dominus (title)

Dominus is the Latin word for master or owner.[1] Dominus was used as a Roman imperial title. It was also the Latin title of the feudal, superior and mesne, lords, and an ecclesiastical and academic title. The ecclesiastical title was rendered through the French seigneur in English as sir, making it a common prefix for parsons before the Reformation, as in Sir Hugh Evans in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. Its shortened form Dom remains used as a prefix of honor for ecclesiastics of the Catholic Church, and especially for members of the Benedictine and other religious orders. The title was formerly also used as is, Dominus, for a Bachelor of Arts.[2]

Many romance languages use some form of the honorific Don, which derives from this term.[3] Further, the Romanian word for God, Dumnezeu, derives from this title through the Latin phrase "Domine Deus."[4] The Basque language uses jaundone (from Basque jaun, "lord", and Romance dom'ne)[5] and done[6] as a prefix for the names of some saints as in jaundone Jakue, "St. James" and Donostia (the town of San Sebastian).

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008). "domus, dominus". Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series. Vol. 7. Leiden, Boston: Brill. p. 177–179. ISBN 9789004167971.
  2. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dominus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 405.
  3. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dominus" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 405.
  4. ^ Niculescu, Alexandru. Despre numele lui Dumnezeu în limba română.
  5. ^ "jaundone". Hiztegia - EHHE (in Basque). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  6. ^ "done". OEH - Bilaketa - OEH (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2023.