kingdom

[ king-duhm ]

noun

1. a state or government having a king or queen as its head.
2. anything conceived as constituting a realm or sphere of independent action or control:

   the kingdom of thought.

   Synonyms: domain, empire, dominion

3. a realm or province of nature, especially one of the three broad divisions of natural objects:

   the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.

4. Biology. a taxonomic category of the second highest rank, just below domain: in a traditional five-kingdom classification scheme, separate kingdoms are assigned to animals (Animalia), plants (Plantae), fungi (Fungi), protozoa and eukaryotic algae (Protista), and bacteria (Monera).
5. the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.
6. the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.

kingdom

/ ˈkɪŋdəm /

noun

1. a territory, state, people, or community ruled or reigned over by a king or queen
2. any of the three groups into which natural objects may be divided: the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms
3. biology any of the major categories into which living organisms of the domain Eukarya are classified. Modern systems recognize four kingdoms: Protoctista (algae, protozoans, etc), Fungi , Plantae , and Animalia See also domain
4. theol the eternal sovereignty of God
5. an area of activity, esp mental activity, considered as being the province of something specified

   the kingdom of the mind

kingdom

/ kĭng′dəm /

1. The highest classification into which living organisms are grouped in Linnean taxonomy, ranking above a phylum. One widely accepted system of classification divides life into five kingdoms: prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
2. See Table at taxonomy

kingdom

1. In biology , the largest of the divisions of living things. The best-known kingdoms are those of the plants and animals . Modern biologists recognize three additional kingdoms: Monera (or Prokaryotae) (for example, bacteria and blue-green algae ), Protoctista (for example, red algae , slime molds, and amoebas and other protozoa ), and fungi . ( See Linnean classification .)

Derived Forms

• ˈkingdomless, adjective

Other Words From

• un·der·king·dom noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of kingdom¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cyningdōm; king, -dom

Synonym Study

Kingdom, monarchy, realm refer to the state or domain ruled by a king or queen. A kingdom is a governmental unit ruled by a king or queen: the kingdom of Norway. A monarchy is primarily a form of government in which a single person is sovereign; it is also the type of power exercised by the monarch: This kingdom is not an absolute monarchy. A realm is the domain, including the subjects, over which the king has jurisdiction; figuratively, a sphere of power or influence: the laws of the realm.

Example Sentences

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based in the small kingdom, and so they each have military and economic reasons to remain friendly.

From Vox

Recognition that gene loss has been important to evolution throughout the animal kingdom opens new doors for research.

From Quanta Magazine

By analyzing hundreds of genomes from across the animal kingdom, researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom showed that a startling degree of gene loss pervades the tree of life.

From Quanta Magazine

Surviving digestion-by-predator is rare, but not unheard of in the animal kingdom.

From Science News

From large trees in the Amazon jungle to houseplants to seaweed in the ocean, green is the color that reigns over the plant kingdom.

From Quanta Magazine

But give the Kingdom credit for its sense of mercy: The lashes will be administered only 50 at a time.

From The Daily Beast

A variety of systems were in place across countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

From The Daily Beast

Fuming Iranian officials blamed the United States and United Kingdom for backing the militants, and Pakistan for inaction.

From The Daily Beast

The young Jordanian pilot comes from a well-known military family in the kingdom and his uncle is a retired major general.

From The Daily Beast

The FBI and the President may claim that the Hermit Kingdom is to blame for the most high-profile network breach in forever.

From The Daily Beast

But the greatest danger I ever underwent in that kingdom was from a monkey, who belonged to one of the clerks of the kitchen.

From Project Gutenberg

But if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate like a private person.

From Project Gutenberg

That thou shouldst make the kingdom to be divided, and out of Ephraim a rebellious kingdom to rule.

From Project Gutenberg

The prizes were plate, and the profits were to be expended in repairing the havens of the kingdom.

From Project Gutenberg

While the majority pulled in one way there was an active minority that wished the Nana to set up an independent kingdom.

From Project Gutenberg