domnus

Latin

Etymology

Syncope of dominus, optional in Classical Latin (Plautus, Horatius) and widespread in Vulgar and Late Latin.

Noun

domnus m (genitive domnī, feminine domna); second declension

  1. lord
    Synonyms: erus, dominus, arbiter
  2. master

Usage notes

In modern Ecclesiastical Latin, the vocative domne may be used when addressing others in a liturgical context, but the full form Domine is always used when addressing God.[1] This distinction is already attested in the Late Latin era: the retention of the form dominus for God by Christians at that time was likely a conscious archaism implying special dignity, rather than evidence that domnus was felt to be nonstandard.[2]

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative domnus domnī
Genitive domnī domnōrum
Dative domnō domnīs
Accusative domnum domnōs
Ablative domnō domnīs
Vocative domne domnī

Descendants
  • ⇒ Late Latin: dom
    • Old Spanish: don
      • Spanish: don (see there for further descendants)
  • Aragonese: dueño
  • Aromanian: domnu
  • Galician: don
  • Italian: donno, don
    • → French: dom
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: dono
  • Romanian: domn
  • Sardinian: donnu
  • Sicilian: don, ron
  • Spanish: dueño

References
  • “domnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • domnus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • domnus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  1. Luckock, Herbert Mortimer (1889) The Divine Liturgy: Being the Order for Holy Communion Historically, Doctrinally, and Devotionally Set Forth in Fifty Portions, page 101: “Domne is a contraction for Domine, which latter, however, was appropriated to God.”
  2. Adams, J. N. (2013) Social Variation and the Latin Language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 96
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