Etymology Borrowed from Middle French dome, domme (modern French dôme), from Italian duomo, from Latin domus (ecclesiae) (literally “house (of the church)”), a calque of Ancient Greek οἶκος τῆς ἐκκλησίας (oîkos tês ekklēsías). Doublet of domus and duomo.
Architecture A structural element resembling the hollow upper half of a sphere.
geodesic dome
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Broadly Anything shaped like an upset bowl, often used as a cover.
a cake dome
lava dome
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The heatwave, caused by what meteorologists described as a dome of high pressure, extends from California up through areas in Canada’s Arctic territories and was worsened by the human-caused climate crisis.2021 June 29, Gabrielle Canon, “Historic heatwave, extreme drought and wildfires plague North American west”, in The Guardian:
Was he in trouble, half a ton of rubble landed on the top of his dome.1962, Myles Rudge, “Right Said Fred”:
Trapping ain't dead, the nitty still clucking and ringing my phone Chilling with bro, talking ’bout money, dough to the dome2016, “Let’s Lurk”, Monkey (lyrics), performed by 67 ft Giggs:
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I got five Georgia homes where I rest my Georgia bones, Come anywhere on my land and I'll aim at your Georgia dome.2005, “Georgia”, performed by Ludacris:
Approach the dome, the social banquet share.1726, Alexander Pope, Odyssey:
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Broadly Any erection resembling the dome or cupola of a building, such as the upper part of a furnace, the vertical steam chamber on the top of a boiler, etc.
steam dome
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Chemistry, Crystallography, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A prism formed by planes parallel to a lateral axis which meet above in a horizontal edge, like the roof of a house; also, one of the planes of such a form.
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Geography, Geology, Natural sciences A geological feature consisting of symmetrical anticlines that intersect where each one reaches its apex.
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French dome, domme (modern French dôme), from Italian duomo, from Latin domus (ecclesiae) (literally “house (of the church)”), a calque of Ancient Greek οἶκος τῆς ἐκκλησίας (oîkos tês ekklēsías). Doublet of domus and duomo.
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To give a domed shape to.
The green and laughing world he sees, / Waters, and plains, and waving trees, / The skim of birds, and the blue-doming skies, […]1814, Leigh Hunt, “Ode for the Spring of 1814”, in The Descent of Liberty, a Mask, London: […] Gale, Curtis, and Fenner, […], published 1815, →OCLC, page lix:
[…] the general effect being to dome the cover upward at least 1,000 and probably 2,000 feet, and to metamorphose the limy sediments into hornstones […]1907, Joseph Barrell, Geology of the Marysville Mining District, Montana, page 24:
You can get hit with the fifth / Twisted with the biscuit / Blasted with the ratchet / Jacked with the MAC / Bodied with the shotty / Dumped with the pump / Rocked with the Glock / Sprayed with the 'K / Domed with the chrome2014, “Talk Shit, Get Shot”, in Ice-T (lyrics), Ernie C, Ice-T, Vincent Price, Will Putney (music), Manslaughter, performed by Body Count:
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A wise man once said six bullets is more than enough to kill anything that moves. But unlike that man, I'd rather not spend half the fight slowly reloading while getting domed by enemy gunfire.2025 December 12, Nerbit, 6:32 from the start, in Can You Beat Fallout: New Vegas While Easily Distracted?, YouTube: