"D" Word Origins

dominance

Origin

From "dominant" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ance."

dominant

Latin

Borrowed from French dominant, from Latin dominari, "to rule."

dominate

Latin

From Latin dominari, "to rule, to be lord and master," from dominus, "lord" — the same root behind "dominion" and "domain."

domination

Latin

From Old French domination, from Latin dominatio, "rule, mastery," from dominari, "to rule."

dominatrix

Latin

From Latin dominatrix, the feminine form of "one who rules," built on the same root as "dominate."

domine

Latin

From Latin dominus, "lord" or "master" — the same root behind "don," "dominie," and "dominus."

dominee

Origin

Borrowed from Dutch dominee and Afrikaans dominee.

Dominguez

Spanish

From Spanish Domínguez.

Domini

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Domini.

Dominic

Late Latin

From Late Latin Dominicus, derived from Dominus (“Lord”).

Dominican

Origin

From "Dominican Republic," itself named after Santo Domingo; the religious order is named after its founder, Saint Dominic.

dominie

Origin

Alteration of domine, with spelling changed to reflect pronunciation. Doublet of dom, dominus, and don.

dominion

Latin

From Latin dominium, "ownership, lordship," from dominus, "lord, master" — the same root as "dominate" and "domain."

Dominique

French

The chicken breed takes its name from the French given name Dominique, itself a doublet of Dominic.

domino

Latin

Borrowed from French domino, originally meaning a hooded garment worn by priests, ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord."

dominus

Latin

Borrowed directly from Latin dominus, "master" — a doublet of "don," "dom," and "domine."

domitable

Origin

From Latin domitō (“to tame”) + -able.

domme

Origin

Alteration of dom with the pseudo-French feminine inflection.

don

Latin

From Spanish/Italian don, a title of respect, ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord, master."

donaghey

Origin

From Irish Domnach (“Sunday”) + each (“horse”).

Donahue

Irish

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnchadha (“descendant of Donnchadh”), a personal name composed of the elements donn (“brown-haired”) + cath (“battle”).

Donald

Old Irish

Name of Scottish kings and an early saint, from Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall and reinforced by Medieval Latin Donvaldus ~ Donaldus, from Old Irish Domnall, from Proto-Celtic *Dubnowalos (“prince / chief of the world”). Doublet of Domhnall.

Donaldson

Origin

From Donald + -son.

donate

Latin

A back-formation from "donation," ultimately from Latin donare, "to give," from donum, "a gift."

Donatello

Italian

From Italian Donatello.

donation

Latin

From Latin donatio, "a gift," from donare, "to give."

donative

Origin

From Latin dōnātīvum (“a gratuity”), from dōnō (“to give [a present]”), from dōnum (“gift”).

Donato

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Donato.

Doncaster

Origin

The Romano-British name was Latin Dānum, from the common Celtic river name Proto-Celtic *Dānu << Proto-Indo-European *dʰenh₂-, + the Old English suffix ceaster (“town”), found in many placenames.

done

Old English

From Old English gedōn, the past participle of dōn ("to do") — the same ending pattern survives in words like "gone" and "known."

donee

Origin

From donor + -ee (attested since 1523).

dong

Chinese

The currency sense comes from Vietnamese đồng, ultimately from a Chinese word for "copper"; the sound sense is imitative, echoing the noise itself.

dongbei

Origin

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 東北 /东北 (Dōngběi).

donger

Origin

From donga (“transportable cabin”).

dongle

Origin

Unknown. Likely a descendant of dangle, reflecting that electronic accessories such as computer peripherals often are plugged in via a flexible cable (although wirelessness is also often relevant). Claims that the word comes from a man named "Don Gall" were made up by an advertisement. First usage 1980-1985.

donjon

Origin

A variant of dungeon remodelled on its etymon, Old French donjon.

donk

Origin

Imitative. As a genre of music, coined or popularized by band Blackout Crew in their 2008 song "Put a Donk on it".

donkey

Origin · 1700

Origin uncertain, first recorded in the late 18th century, possibly a diminutive form built on "dun" (a greyish-brown colour), replacing the older word "ass."

Donkeys

Origin

The nickname plays on the idea of a donkey as clumsy and slow-witted compared to a "bronco," a strong, spirited horse — a bit of self-deprecating humor turned into a fan nickname.

donkin

Origin

A variant of Duncan.

donna

Latin

From Italian donna, "lady" — a doublet of "dame" and "domina," all tracing back to Latin domina.

Donnelly

Irish

From the Irish surname, from Ó Donnghaile ("descendant of Donnghal"), from donn ("brown-haired") + gal ("valor").

donner

Dutch

From Afrikaans donder ("to thrash"), itself from Dutch donder, "thunder" — making it a distant doublet of the English word "thunder."

Donnie

Origin

Diminutives + -ie.

Donny

Origin

A diminutive formed by adding "-y" to names like Don or Donald.

dono

Origin

A clipped, informal form of "donation," with the casual "-o" ending seen in words like "combo" and "ammo."

donor

Latin

From Anglo-Norman donour, from Old French doneur, ultimately from Latin donare, "to give."

Donovan

Irish

Rhyming or nickname-style slang, borrowing the Irish surname Donovan (from Ó Donndubháin) as a jokey stand-in for "potato."