domesticity
406
able to live with people and work for them, especially on a
farm or as a pet: Cows were domesticated to provide us with
milk. → compare TAME² 2 [usually pass.] to cause to enjoy
living at home and doing jobs around the house: Their son is
very domesticated and often does the cooking. —cation
/dəˌmestɪˈkeɪʃən/ n [U]
do·mes·tic·i·ty /ˌdəʊmeˈstɪsəti/ n [U] (a liking for) home or
family life: a scene of happy domesticity
doˌmestic 'science also housecraft BrE also home
economics n [U] the study of the skills of housekeeping,
such as cooking and sewing. It is taught as a subject in many
British and American schools, especially to girls.
doˌmestic 'service n [U] (especially in former times) the
work of a servant in a house → see also CLEANER, CLEANING
LADY, SERVANT
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain it is no longer common for
people to have servants living in their houses, although
many people employ someone to help them clean their
house for a few hours each week.
doˌmestic 'violence n [U] violence that takes place in the
home, usually between a husband and wife: the bad old days
when the police didn't think that domestic violence counted as
a crime
dom·i·cile /'dɒmɪsaɪl||'dɑː-, 'dæu-/ n fml or law a person's
home; the place where a person lives or is considered to live
for official purposes: His last known domicile was 10 New
Street, Cambridge.
dom·i·ciled /'dɒmɪsaɪld||'dɑː-, 'dæu-/ adj [F+adv/prep] fml or law
having one's domicile: He does some work in the Middle East
but is domiciled in Britain for tax purposes.
dom·i·cil·i·ar·y /ˌdɒmɪˈsɪliəri||ˌdɑːmɪˈsɪlieri, ˌdæu-/ adj [A]
fml or law of, to, or at someone's home: The health inspectors
spend 50% of their time on domiciliary visits.
dom·i·nance /'dɒmɪnəns||'dɑː-/ n [U] the fact or position
of dominating; importance, power, or controlling influence:
Our dominance of the market is seriously threatened by this
new product. → compare DOMINATION
dom·i·nant¹ /'dɒmɪnənt||'dɑː-/ adj. 1 most noticeable or
important: Blue is the dominant colour in his later
paintings. | Peace was the dominant theme of the confer-
ence. 2 high and easily seen: The Town Hall was built in a
dominant position on a hill. 3 stronger than the other parts
of a system or group: The right hand is dominant in most
people. | a dominant group in society 4 tending to dominate
other people: a dominant personality 5 tech (of groups of
physical qualities passed on from parent to child) able to
appear in the child even if only in the GENES of one parent:
Brown eyes are dominant and blue eyes are recessive.
dominant² n [(the) S] the fifth note of a musical scale of eight
notes → compare TONIC²
dom·i·nate /'dɒmɪneɪt||'dɑː-/ v [I;T] 1 to have or exercise
control or power (over): The committee works well together,
although sometimes the chairman tends to dominate. 2 to
have the most important place or position (in): The team
has dominated international football for years. | The great
cathedral dominates the centre of the city. | The election
campaign was dominated by the issue of unemployment.
dom·i·na·tion /ˌdɒmɪˈneɪʃən||dɑː-/ n [U] the act of domi-
nating or the state of being dominated: After the leader died,
rival parties struggled for domination of the community. →
compare DOMINANCE
dom·i·neer /ˌdɒmɪˈnɪər||ˌdɑː-/ v [(over)] usually derog to try to
control other people, usually without any consideration of
their feelings or wishes: a domineering personality
Do·min·go, Pla·ci·do /dəˈmɪŋɡəʊ, ˈplæsɪdəʊ/ (1941–) a
Spanish OPERA singer, considered to be one of the greatest
TENORS (=men with high singing voices) in the world
Dom·i·ni·ca /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə||ˌdɑː-/ an island in the Caribbean
Sea which has been a member of the COMMONWEALTH since
1978. Population: 69,655 (2003). Capital: Roseau.
—Dominican n, adj
Do·min·i·can /dəˈmɪnɪkən/ n 1 the Dominicans a Chris-
tian religious group begun by St Dominic in 1215, whose
members live a holy life according to strict rules 2 a
member of the Dominicans —Dominican adj
Do-min-i-can Re-pub-lic, the /dəˌmɪnɪkən rɪˈpʌblɪk/ a
country in the Caribbean Sea on the island of Hispaniola,
which it shares with Haiti. Population: 8,442,533 (2000).
Capital: Santo Domingo. It was the place where Christopher
COLUMBUS first landed in America.
do·min·ion /dəˈmɪnjən/ n 1 [U(over)] especially lit the power or
right to rule: Alexander the Great held dominion over a vast
area. 2 [C] the land(s) held in complete control by one
person, ruler, or government: the king's dominion(s)
Do·minion Day a national holiday in Canada, in memory
of the beginning of the Dominion of Canada in 1867
Do·min·ions, the /dəˈmɪnjənz/ an old British name,
which is no longer used, for the countries of Australia,
Canada, and New Zealand, which had their own govern-
ments but were still part of the British Empire in the early
part of the 20th century
dom·i·no /'dɒmɪnəʊ||'dɑː-/ n pl. -noes one of a set of small
flat pieces of wood, plastic etc, with a different number of
spots on each, used for playing a game (dominoes)
Domino, Fats /fæts/ (1928–) a US singer, songwriter, and
piano player, who made many popular records in the 1950s
and influenced the development of ROCK 'N' ROLL music. His
songs include Ain't That a Shame (1955) and Blueberry Hill
(1956).
'domino effect n [(the) S] (usually in politics) a situation in
which one event or action causes similar (usually undesir-
able) actions to happen one after another, in the way that a
row of standing dominoes will fall over one after another if
one of them is pushed → compare KNOCK-ON
'domino theory n [U] the former idea that if one country
becomes Communist, then other countries in that area will
also become Communist
don¹ /dɒn||dɑːn/ n BrE a university teacher, especially at
Oxford and Cambridge
don² v -nn- old use or pomp to put on (clothing and hats) →
opposite DOFF
Don a title of respect used before a man's first name in
Spanish-speaking countries: Don Miguel
Don·a·hue, Phil /'dɒnəhju:||'dɑːn-, fɪl/ (1935–) a US tele-
vision PRESENTER. On his TALK SHOW called Donahue (1970–
1996), people told their personal secrets and talked about their
problems. He was the first presenter to have a show of this
type.
Don·ald Duck /ˌdɒnəld 'dʌk||ˌdɑː-/ a character in CAR-
TOONS made by Walt DISNEY, that first appeared in 1934. Like
MICKEY MOUSE, he is one of the best-known of all Disney's
characters and is often used as a SYMBOL of the Disney
organization.
Do·nald·son, Sam /'dɒnəldsən||'dɑː-, sæm/ (1934–) a US
news reporter with ABC, known for his interviews with politi-
cians
do·nate /dəʊˈneɪt||ˈdoʊneɪt/ v [I;T(to)] to make a gift of
(something), especially for a good purpose: Last year he
donated £1000 to cancer research. → see also DONOR
do·na·tion /dəʊˈneɪʃən/ n [C;U(to)] the act of donating or
something donated: We are collecting donations for the relief
fund. | They made a generous donation to charity.
Don·cas·ter /'dɒŋkɑːstə||'dɑːŋkæs-/ an industrial town in
South Yorkshire in northern England. A well-known horse
race, the ST LEGER, takes place there every year.
done¹ /dʌn/ past participle of DO¹,²
done² adj [F ^no comp.] 1 [(with)] finished: The job's nearly
done. | When you are done, give us a call. | The affair's now
over and done with. (=completely ended) 2 also done for
/'-·/ done in /·'·/ — very tired: I feel completely done
in! 3 cooked enough to eat: Are the potatoes done
yet? 4 socially acceptable: It's not done to call the teachers by
their first names. | It's the done thing to serve champagne at
weddings. 5 Done! Agreed! I accept!: 'I'll give you £5 for it.'
'Done!' → see also be hard done by (HARD²)
Don·e·gal /ˌdɒnɪˈɡɔːl||ˌdɑːn-/ a COUNTY in the northwest of
the Republic of Ireland, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
Don Gio·van·ni /ˌdɒn dʒɒvˈvæni||ˌdɑːn-/ 1 (1787) an
OPERA by MOZART with words by Lorenzo DA PONTE, about a
man called Don Giovanni who is known for having very
many lovers. He kills the father of one of his former lovers,