dome

[ dohm ]

noun

1. Architecture.
   1. a vault, having a circular plan and usually in the form of a portion of a sphere, so constructed as to exert an equal thrust in all directions.
   2. a domical roof or ceiling.
   3. a polygonal vault, ceiling, or roof.
2. any covering thought to resemble the hemispherical vault of a building or room:

   the great dome of the sky.

3. anything shaped like a hemisphere or inverted bowl.
4. (in a dam) a semidome having its convex surface toward the impounded water.
5. Crystallography. a form having planes that intersect the vertical axis and are parallel to one of the lateral axes.
6. Geology. upwarp.
7. Also called vistadome. Railroads. a raised, glass-enclosed section of the roof of a passenger car, placed over an elevated section of seats to afford passengers a full view of scenery.
8. Horology. an inner cover for the works of a watch, which snaps into the rim of the case.
9. a mountain peak having a rounded summit.
10. Slang. a person's head:

    I wish I could get the idea into that thick dome of yours.

verb (used with object)

, domed, dom·ing.

1. to cover with or as if with a dome.
2. to shape like a dome.

verb (used without object)

, domed, dom·ing.

1. to rise or swell as a dome.

dome

/ ˈdəʊmɪkəl; dəʊm; ˈdɒm- /

noun

1. a hemispherical roof or vault or a structure of similar form
2. something shaped like this
3. crystallog a crystal form in which two planes intersect along an edge parallel to a lateral axis
4. See head
   a slang word for the head
5. geology
   1. a structure in which rock layers slope away in all directions from a central point
   2. another name for pericline

verb

1. to cover with or as if with a dome
2. to shape like a dome

dome

/ dōm /

1. A circular or elliptical area of uplifted rock in which the rock dips gently away, in all directions, from a central point.
2. A wedge-shaped mineral crystal that has two nonparallel, similarly inclined faces that intersect along a plane of symmetry.

Derived Forms

• domical, adjective
• ˈdomeˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• domelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dome¹

1505–15; < Middle French dome < Italian duomo < Medieval Latin domus ( Deī ) house (of God), church; akin to timber

Word History and Origins

Origin of dome¹

C16: from French, from Italian duomo cathedral, from Latin domus house

Example Sentences

It comes with a curtain you can attach to any side of the dome to create a full wall of protection, and it sets up quickly and packs down to the size of a small camping tent.

From Outside Online

When it rains, the dome doubles as a useful cooking or hangout structure.

From Outside Online

The company says the dome was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.

From Fortune

Using these photos as a reference, we constructed a to-scale version of the dome.

From MIT Technology Review

The decision to close up the domes and leave the mountaintops behind might seem odd — after all, we put telescopes out in the middle of nowhere and study things that are billions of light-years away.

From Quanta Magazine

The dome could be rebuilt by 2021 if work stays on schedule, according to workers at the site.

From The Daily Beast

From deep within, looking up at the tropical sky is like staring through the dome of some kind of earthen cathedral.

From The Daily Beast

Nevertheless, should Iron Dome funding come up for a vote this week, it is expected to receive overwhelming support.

From The Daily Beast

Without an Iron Dome defense system, air raid sirens or even bomb shelters, people resign themselves to their fate.

From The Daily Beast

But very little of the ISIS ethos has to do with hitting the Freedom Tower or the Capitol Dome.

From The Daily Beast

If it had not been for the high, dome-shaped roof, the air would have grown heavy and impure.

From Project Gutenberg

In front of him, dome upon dome of wooded mountain stood against the sky.

From Project Gutenberg

The buildings grew higher toward the center of the dome, but I stopped while they were still two stories.

From Project Gutenberg

The inside of Jorgensen's always surprised new visitors to Asaph Dome.

From Project Gutenberg

A trace of light had begun to soften the sky over the dome, but had not yet seeped down to ground level.

From Project Gutenberg