Gender & Sexuality dictionary
daddy dom
daddy-dom [dad-ee dom]
What does daddy dom mean?
In BDSM sexual practices, a daddy dom refers to a dominant partner who role-plays a paternal figure for the submissive partner.
Related words:
- femdom
- dominatrix
- DDLG
- DDLB
- princess
Where does daddy dom come from?
Bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism (BDSM) refers to erotic domination and submission, with power structures based on trust and consent between the partners involved.
One central BDSM power dynamic is the dominant/submissive dyad, with the dom (or dominant or dominatrix) partner physically and emotionally controlling the BDSM experience for the sub (or submissive). The shortening dom is found by the 1980s.
In a daddy dom arrangement, the dom is usually an older man who acts as a caring father, with the younger sub (male or female) relying on the dom as a little child would on a daddy, hence daddy dom, an established phrase by the 2000s. Daddy, here, draws on a long history of the word as sexual slang, used for an older man caring for his mistress/gay lover by the 1920s.
In a daddy dom relationship, daddy does not involve incest or pedophilia, the term of endearment instead conveying someone who nurtures, protects, teaches, and disciplines, which in part provide the sexual and emotional gratification in the consensual role-playing.
Daddy dom relationships can span weeks to decades.
Examples of daddy dom
Who uses daddy dom?
In BDSM code, daddy dom dynamics can be DDLG or DDLB, Daddy Dom Little Girl or Daddy Dom Little Boy, based on the gender expression of the sub, all terms familiar to people who practice, discuss, or study BDSM.
A daddy dom is used for the dominant partner in such a relationship. A female sub is often called a princess.
While many people outside the BDSM community may find BDSM-related content inappropriate in polite settings, many within the BDSM may also find it a serious violation of privacy to talk openly about one’s daddy dom activities.
BDSM daddy dom is not to be confused with daddydom, a playful term for “the state of being a daddy” (e.g., On the birth of his first child, Roger fully embraced all the ups and downs of daddydom.).
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of daddy dom like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of daddy dom that will help our users expand their word mastery.