dom-, domo-, domat-, domato-

Refering to a person who shows a desire or tendency to exercise excessive control or authority over others: Jake was a domineering executive of his company and so he was not always willing to submit to all of the wishes of his employees. © ALL rights are reserved.
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1. Ruling power, authority or control: It is stated in the Bible that people have dominion over all other animals.
2. Someone's influence or control over others: In Jack's story book, the king had dominion over his kingdom and had complete power and authority over all the people who lived there.
3. The land governed by a ruler; kingdom, nation: In Mary's book, the dominions of the great king extended to the sea.

A dominant organism in a microhabitat: Ants, worms, and moles can be dominules in an underground environment that is dark and moist.

Concerning domestics or home automation: On a daily basis, domotic systems are often supposed to be able to automatically gather data from several sensors and do such things as adjust lights and music to the personal preferences of each member of the household as they come into or leave a particular room.

The application of "intelligent" technology to make a home more comfortable and convenient.

There is still no consensus as to the etymology of domotics. One definition says it means: blending of Latin domus, "house", with robotics.

Additional sources (www.domotics.com, www.answers.com; and others) state: "The term domotics is a contraction of the words domus (Latin = home or house) and informatics (= the science concerned with the collection, transmission, storage, processing, and display of information)."

Some of the applications under the heading of domotics are sensors that automatically adjust lighting levels to meet the personal preferences of family members.

Other sensors may be adjusted to water plants according their need, or to vary the ventilation to make best use of outdoor climate conditions.

If there were a fire or break-in, the domotics would be able to call emergency services and explain in detail what is needed.

Some experts have described clever refrigerators that can read the wireless tags on food, determine when items are getting low and automatically reorder them. “Intelligent” washing machines will decide how much cleaning the garments should have.

What happens when more than one person is in the room and each one has a different preference?

Currently the most simple systems require that each person must wear a marker, such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, while the more sophisticated ones detect movement, body heat, and other individual characteristics.

Again, how will even the most sophisticated systems handle multiple preferences from a family or social group?

1. In the United Kingdom, a university or college teacher: A don, or professor, instructs at one of the universities of Oxford or Cambridge in England.
2. A Spanish gentleman or aristocrat: Some people remember California in the days of the dons.
3. A head of an organized crime family, especially in the Mafia: A don, or male boss, was found in a cafe in Italy.
4. Etymology: don, as a noun, comes from the 1520's, from Spanish or Portuguese don, a title of respect; which came from Latin dominus, "lord, master".

The university sense appeared about 1660 when it was originally part of student slang. The underworld or criminal sense came about 1952, from Italian don, from Late Latin domnus, which came from Latin dominus. The feminne forms are Dona (Spanish and Portuguese) and Donna (Italian).

1. To put on a piece of clothing on to one's body: Jane donned on a beautiful silk dress that her mother made especially for her.
2. To assume or to take on an attitude or to show one's feelings especially of grief or anger in a demonstrative way: He donned the manner of the injured party when he was not chosen.
3. Etymology: The verbal form of don appeared in about the early 14th century which came from Middle English as a contraction of do on, "put on".

1. A dark, often underground chamber or cell used to confine prisoners, especially beneath a castle: In the adventure story, the dungeon was different from the ordinary prison in being more severe as a place of punishment.
2. Archaic term, the secure main tower of a castle; The dungeon, a keep or donjon, was very tall and surrounded by a large ditch with water.

This word comes ultimately from Latin dominus "lord, master"

This was derived from dominium "property" (source of English dominion), that in post-classical times became domino or domnio, meaning "lord's tower".

In Old French this became donjon, the term for a "castle keep", and eventually, by extension, a "secure (underground) cell". The form dungeon developed the specialized sense of strong closed cell, underground place of confinement; based on the French donjon (large tower of a castle).

1. Characteristic of being impossible to defeat or to discourage: Ted's indomitable determination made it possible for him to achieve his objectives as a medical specialist.
2. Etymology: from Late Latin indomitabilis, "indomitable"; from , "not" + domitare, "to tame" + -abilis, "able".

The extended meaning of "unconquerable" or "unyielding" was first recorded in Walter Scott's The Fair Maid of Perth in 1828. Walter Scott was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, who was popular throughout much of the world in the 19th century.

—Essentially compiled from information located in
The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, Robert K. Barnhart, Editor;
The H.W. Wilson Company; Bronxville, New York; 1988; page 523.

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1. The man servant who is responsible for managing domestic affairs in a large household, especially a royal or noble household: James, the major-domo of the large villa on the hill, was not only trustworthy and in charge of the gardeners, maids, chauffeurs, and cooks, but also for their well-being.
2. Someone responsible for managing the affairs of others and making arrangements for them: Since the queen had so many important affairs to tend to, she gave the position of major-domo to a friendly and reliable person to provide the supplies and planning of such significant issues related to her status.
3. Etymology: from Latin major domus, "highest official of the household". © ALL rights are reserved.

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A plant chamber inhabited by insects or fungi: A myrmecodomatium has the form of a hollow on the underside of a leaf, or has a system of tunnels in a stem as a place of dwelling for ants or termites.

A plant structure that affords shelter to ants: A myrmecodomus applies to a cavity of a plant which can protect and shield ants from danger.

The Acacia trees in Central America are defended by ants and, in return, provide ants with food and shelter.

One who loves tyranny: Susan started to read a story about a country where philodespots liked the way the ruler used absolute power to keep his nation under control, and then she quit reading after the first few pages.

In biology, referring to colonies of social insects that occupy more than one nest: Such polydomous insects are typical of ants and termites in comparison to monodomous ants that have only one single nest site.

1. Greater or greatest importance, power, or influence: There is a predominance of English materials on the internet.
2. The state of being the most common or the greatest in number or amount: There was a predominance of chickens on the farmer's property in comparison to the number of cows that he had.

Max was told that there was a predominance of older people at the present time than at any other period in history.

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