Dictionary

domina en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɒmɪnə/ (UK)

Etymology

From Latin domina (“mistress”). Doublet of dame and donna.

Meanings

1. The head of a nunnery.
   • Each of the nuns was heard in her turn, while the others waited with the domina in the adjoining vestry. 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, page 29:
2. A dominatrix.
   • A specific of the fem-dom, sub-male scene is that it is the segment with the highest presence of professional activity -- professional dominae abound. 1994 May 26, Alex Martelli, “Newbie Submissive....”, in alt.sex.bondage (Usenet), archived from the original on 04 Jan 2026:
   • >Couple of articles about professional dommes, […] It's written "domina". Period. Even in English. If you can't stand Latin endings, I'll grudgingly concede the androgynous abbreviation "dom". But a pseudo-French bastard "domme" really has no right to live, not even on a terminal screen. 1993 November 22, <-Inquisitor->, “Professional DOMINAE (that's how it's spelled)”, in alt.sex.bondage (Usenet), archived from the original on 04 Jan 2026:
   • Instead, Social Text "tarts up" the issue of sex work with sexy photos of dominas and cross-dressers, replicating, in a slightly more self-conscious and progressive way, the nineteenth-century exoticization[…] 1997, Rosemary Hennessy, Chrys Ingraham, Materialist feminism: a reader in class, difference, and women's lives, page 294:
   • I think that there is a reason why so many dominae are pro and paid: they don't get to do what they want. Maybe you talk to your pro dommes friends again and ask what they get out of it. 2005 December 19, Jacques Michel, “Yes mistress.”, in soc.sexuality.general (Usenet), archived from the original on 04 Jan 2026:
   • Dominas therefore stress the emotional and physical skill, as well as the dangers, involved in commercial S/M[…] 2004, Pamela Church Gibson, More dirty looks: gender, pornography and power:
3. An ancient Roman lady.
   • Flavius on the other hand holds the career of the gladiator in high esteem, as despite running the unavoidable risk of death at every turn, gladiators are the most renowned and admired of all men and are sought after by the most beautiful and wealthy Roman dominae. […] Though dressed like Roman patrician dominae, their height, features and hair colour show that they are young Briton girls. 2012, Armando Roggero, The Revenge of the Ninth: Heading to Honor and Glory through Effort and Trial, Lulu, →ISBN, pages 71 and 152:
   • The ancient historian Horace remarked once that respectable women should not draw attention to themselves by using cosmetics, perfume, or hairpieces. However, that didn’t last long with the Roman dominas. 2012, J. F. Ridgley, Vows of Revenge, →ISBN, page 498:
   • The exotic mistress fulfilled the lust of his body, but her status came far short of entertaining him as he’d grown accustomed with fair Roman dominas, engaging their obscene wittiness and patrician prattle. 2017, Mary Dove, “Quintus”, in The End of Seven, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, page 346:
   • “Can you translate this invitation? I hate to display my ignorance around your Latin students,” Mrs. Dooley, who was attired in a royal purple gown as a Roman domina, graciously complied, so if you’ve been worrying over the translation to the first paragraph, here ’tis. 1956 May 23, Jean Yothers, “On the Town”, in Orlando Sentinel, volume 66, number 272, Orlando, Fla., page 20, column 1:
   • A precious article is the paint with which the Roman domina was beautified; it was well worthy of the case of ivory and rock-crystal in which it was preserved. 1863 November 21, “Literary Extracts, &c.”, in The Hull News, number 621, Kingston upon Hull, E.R.Y., page 3, column 4:

Forms

Relateds

dominus