dominical

English

WOTD – 29 January 2023

Etymology

A dial on the Zimmer tower in Lier, Belgium, indicating the solar cycle (inner ring) and dominicals or dominical letters (outer ring; noun sense 3.2).

From Middle English dominical (“(adjective) of or pertaining to the Lord’s day or Sunday; (noun) a book containing the liturgy for Sunday (?)”),^[1] borrowed from Medieval Latin dominicālis (“of or pertaining to Sunday, dominical”), from Latin dominicus (“of or belonging to a lord or master; (Ecclesiastical Latin) God’s, the Lord’s”) (compare diēs Dominicus (“the day of the Lord, Sunday”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship). Dominicus is derived from dominus (“lord, master”) (used in Latin versions of the Bible to translate titles of the God of the Hebrew Tanakh and Greek New Testament; probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“to arrange, put together; to build (up)”)) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives).^[2]

Adjective senses 3.1 (“of printed text: in a large size”) and 3.2 (“red, ruddy”) refer to the practice of printing dominical letters in a large size, or in red.^[2]

cognates

• French dominical

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dəˈmɪnɪk(ə)l/, /dəʊ-/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dəˈmɪnək(ə)l/
• Hyphenation: do‧min‧i‧cal

Adjective

dominical (not comparable) (Christianity)

1. Of or pertaining to Jesus Christ as Lord.

   Antonym: undominical

   • 1655, James Howell, “XXIX. To W. Roberts, Esq”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume IV, London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […], →OCLC, section VI, page 472:

     The Dominical Prayer, and the Apoſtolical Creed, (vvhereof there vvas ſuch a hot diſpute in our laſt converſation) are tvvo Acts tending to the ſame object of devotion, yet they differ in this, that vve conclude all in the firſt, and ourſelves only in the ſecond, […]

   • 1692, G[eorge] T[rosse], “Sect[ion] XX. [The Tradition of the Lords-day’s Rest, or First-day of the Week from the Apostles Time to the End of the Fourth Century. […].]”, in The Lords Day Vindicated: Or The First Day of the Week the Christian Sabbath. […], London: […] Samuel Clement, […], →OCLC, page [130]:

     VVhereas 'tis clear, that Rome obſerved the firſt day of the vveek, becauſe 'tvvas the Dominical day, the day of our Lord's Reſurrection; vvhereas the proper Paſchal-day vvas tvvo or three days before the Lords day: […]

   • 1743, Henry Fielding, “The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great. Chapter VIII. In which Our Hero Carries Greatness to an Immoderate Height.”, in Miscellanies, […], volume III, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book II, pages 155–156:

     [A]t the firſt Intervievv vvith Mrs. Heartfree, Mr. VVild had conceived that Paſſion, […] vvhich is indeed no other than that Friendſhip vvhich, after the Exerciſe of the Dominical Day is over, a luſty Divine is apt to conceive for the vvell-dreſt Sirloin, or handſome Buttock, vvhich the vvell-edified 'Squire, in Gratitude, ſets before him, and vvhich, ſo violent is his Love, he is deſirous to devour.

2. (archaic) Of or pertaining to the Lord's Day, Sunday.

   Antonym: undominical

   • 1649, J[ohn] Milton, “Upon the Kings Calling this Last Parlament”, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 8:

     And vvho knovvs not the ſuperſtitious rigor of his Sundays Chapel, and the licentious remiſſneſs of his Sundays Theater; accompanied vvith that reverend Statute for Dominical Jigs and Maypoles, publiſht in his ovvn Name, and deriv'd from the example of his Father James.

3. (historical) Of or pertaining to the ancient system of dominical letters, used for determining Sundays (particularly Easter Sunday) in any given year.
   1. (figuratively, obsolete) Of printed text: in a large size.
      • 1631 (first performance), Philip Massinger, The Emperour of the East. A Tragæ-comœdie. […], London: […] Thomas Harper, for Iohn Waterson, published 1632, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, signature C3, recto:

        I haue compoſde a Dictionary, in vvhich / He is inſtructed, hovv, vvhen, and to vvhom / To be proud or humble; at vvhat times of the yeare / He may do a good deed for it ſelfe, and that is / VVrit in Dominicall letters, […]

      • 1668, John Wells, “Gods Tremendous Judgments Executed upon Those who have Prophaned and Violated His Holy Day”, in The Practical Sabbatarian: or Sabbath-holiness Crowned with Superlative Happiness, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 695:

        [S]uch obſerved that our Fights of greateſt importance vvere fought on the Lords day, As the Fight at Edgehill, Nevvbury, &c. as pointing at our ſin in the puniſhment, and Gods vvrath vvas vvritten in Dominical letters: […]

   2. (figuratively, obsolete) Red, ruddy.
      • 1651, Thomas Randolph, “Hey for Honesty, Down with Knavery”, in W[illiam] Carew Hazlitt, editor, Poetical and Dramatic Works of Thomas Randolph […], volume I, London: Reeves and Turner […], published 1875, →OCLC, act IV, scene iii, page 469:

        [T]hese nails that by good token have not been pared since eighty-eight, should have scratched your face till it had been a dominical one, and as full of red letters as any Pond's Almanac in Christendom.

Derived terms

• dominical day
• dominical letter
• dominically
• dominical year
• undominical

Related terms

• Dominic
• Dominican

Translations

of or pertaining to Jesus Christ as Lord

Armenian: տերունի (hy) (teruni) Old Armenian: տէրունի (tēruni) Finnish: Herran Greek: Ancient Greek: κῡριακή (kūriakḗ) Macedonian: Го́сподов (Góspodov), го́сподов (góspodov)

of or pertaining to Sunday

Bulgarian: неделен (nedelen) Catalan: dominical (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 主日 (zh) (zhǔrì) Czech: nedělní (cs) Dutch: zondags (nl) Finnish: pyhä- (fi) French: dominical (fr) Galician: dominical (gl) German: sonntäglich (de) Greek: κυριακή (kyriakí) Ilocano: dominikal Indonesian: dominis Italian: dominicale Korean: 주일(主日) (ko) (ju'il) Macedonian: не́делен (nédelen) Polish: niedzielne Portuguese: dominical (pt) Romanian: dominical Slovak: nedeľné Slovene: nedéljska Spanish: dominical (es)

of or pertaining to the ancient system of dominical letters

Finnish: sunnuntaikirjain-

Noun

dominical (plural dominicals) (Christianity)

1. A person who keeps Sunday as a day of rest, but does not regard it as representing the Sabbath of the Old Testament of the Bible.

   Antonym: Sabbatarian

   • 1863 January, “Art. IV.—Theories of the Lord’s Day—Dominical and Sabbatarian. […]”, in The British and Foreign Evangelical Review, volume XII, number XLIII, London: James Nisbet & Co., […]; Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, →OCLC, page 107:

     So far, therefore, the dominical and Sabbatarian are at one; save that the ground of exemption, in exceptional cases, which the dominical seeks to establish by general reasonings of his own, the Sabbatarian finds established to his hand by the words of Christ. It is true that the dominical may differ from the Sabbatarian on the question, What is a real case of "necessity and mercy," such as will justify a departure from the letter of the law? But so may a Sabbatarian differ from a Sabbatarian. So may a dominical from a dominical: […]

2. (British, historical) A payment legally due from a parishioner to the parish, because the parishioner's house was built on land, ownership of which would have originally obliged the landowner to pay a tithe to the parish.
   • 1838 June 9, The Western Luminary, quotee, “Events of the Month. [Dominicals.—Interesting Case.]”, in The British Magazine, and Monthly Register of Religious and Ecclesiastical Information, Parochial History, and Documents Respecting the State of the Poor, Progress of Education, &c., volume XIV, London: J. G. & F. Rivington, […]; J. Turrill, […], and T. Clerc Smith, […], published 1 August 1838, →OCLC, page 234, column 1:

     Mr. Moore, in opening his case, stated that a custom obtained in this city [Exeter] of paying an annual amount of 4s. 8d. to the officiating clergyman of different parishes, which was termed dominicals. […] [T]he custom had existed for a long while in the parish of paying these dominicals, which might be taken in light of personal tithes, payable on land covered by houses.

   • 1874 June 6, “Reg. v. Sandford”, in Edward William Cox, editor, Reports of All the Cases Decided by All the Superior Courts Relating to Magistrates, Municipal, and Parochial Law. […], volume IX, London: “Law Times” Office, […], published 1877, →OCLC, page 65, column 1:

     [D]ominicals, as I understood, were payments in the nature of tithes, in respect of houses built upon land originally subject to tithe, which view was supported by the fact that in some of the parishes in the city both tithes and dominicals were payable, but in no instance that I was aware of was the same property subject to both.

   • 1874 September 7, “The levying of dominicals”, in The Daily News, number 8,851, London: William King Hales, →OCLC, page 7, column 4:

     A largely attended meeting was held on Friday night in Exeter, to protest against the custom of levying dominicals, which is being enforced in several parishes in the city. It seems that London, York, and Exeter are the only three cities in which the custom exists.

3. (obsolete)
   1. The Lord's Day; Sunday.
      • 1630 December 8 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Jackson, “A Sermon, or Postill; Preached in Newcastle upon Tine, the Second Sunday in Advent, 1630”, in The Works of the Reverend and Learned Divine Thomas Jackson, D.D. […], London: […] J. Macock, for John Martyn, Richard Chiswell, and Joseph Clarke, […], published 1673, →OCLC, tome II, book VI, page 386:

        The Goſpels appointed by the Church for the three other Dominicals, or Lords Days in Advent, refer to the firſt manner of his [Jesus's] coming, to vvit, in humility to viſit and redeem his people.

      • 1664, Robert Seppens, “How It was Managed in the Ancient Church”, in Rex Theologus. The Preachers Guard and Guide in the Didactical Part of His Duty. […], London: […] R[ichard] Royston, […], →OCLC, page 33:

        The Lutherans retain the cuſtom of Preaching upon the Dominicals.

      • 1672, Tho[mas] Elborow, “The Order for the Visitation of the Sick. [The Apostles Creed, or Rule of Faith. 10th. 11th. 12th. Article.]”, in An Exposition upon the Latter Part of the Common-Prayer-Book. […], London: […] J. W. for Joseph Clark, →OCLC, page 29:

        Many of the Collects, Epiſtles, and Goſpels for the Dominicals, and Feſtivals may be reduced to this Creed, and may ſerve for a clear explication of it.

   2. Short for dominical letter.
      • c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

        Let me not die your debtor, / My red Dominicall, my golden letter, / O that your face vvere not ſo full of Oes.

      • 1704, [William] Beveridge, “Additions to the foregoing Chapter Collected from Dr. Beveridge’s Institutiones Chronologicæ”, in Giles Strauchius [i.e., Aegidius Strauch II], translated by Richard Sault, Breviarium Chronologicum. Or A Treatise Describing the Terms and Most Celebrated Characters, Periods and Epocha’s Used in Chronology. […], 2nd edition, London: […] A. Bosville […], →OCLC, § 6, page 92:

        If Gregory [i.e., Pope Gregory XIII] in the caſtigation of the Julian year had throvvn out only 7 days or a VVeek, the Dominicals of the Gregorian had been ſtill the ſame vvith the Julian; but in regard that he lop'd off ten, vvhich is three above ſeven, vve muſt take three Letters of the Julian Dominical to make it Gregorian.

      • 1770, Samuel Fuller (of Dublin), A Mathematical Miscellany, 3rd edition, page 168:

        [In] the year 1771, the Dominical is F and the Prime 5[.]

Translations

person who keeps Sunday as a day of rest, but does not regard it as representing the Sabbath of the Old Testament of the Bible

Finnish: sunnuntaina lepopäivää viettävä (does not imply anything about one's beliefs in the Sabbath)

payment legally due from a parishioner to the parish, because the parishioner’s house was built on land, ownership of which would have originally obliged the landowner to pay a tithe to the parish

Finnish: maasta kirkolle maksettava korvaus (literally “money to be paid to the church for land”) (generic descriptive term)

References

1. “dominicāl, adj. and n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
2. Compare “Dominical, adj. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2022; “dominical, adj. and n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• dominical letter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jesus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sunday on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• amnicolid, calmoniid, omnicidal

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dominicālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [du.mi.niˈkal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [do.mi.niˈkal]

Adjective

dominical m or f (masculine and feminine plural dominicals)

1. dominical

Related terms

• diumenge
• Domènec

Further reading

• “dominical” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “dominical”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “dominical” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “dominical” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From Latin dominicālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.mi.ni.kal/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

dominical (feminine dominicale, masculine plural dominicaux, feminine plural dominicales)

1. (relational) Sunday
2. from the Lord (i.e. Jesus Christ)

Further reading

• “dominical”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French dominical.

Adjective

dominical m or n (feminine singular dominicală, masculine plural dominicali, feminine and neuter plural dominicale)

1. (attributive) Sunday

Declension

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	dominical		dominicală	dominicali	dominicale
	definite	dominicalul		dominicala	dominicalii	dominicalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	dominical		dominicale	dominicali	dominicale
	definite	dominicalului		dominicalei	dominicalilor	dominicalelor

Declension of dominical

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin dominicālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dominiˈkal/ [d̪o.mi.niˈkal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: do‧mi‧ni‧cal

Adjective

dominical m or f (masculine and feminine plural dominicales)

1. (relational) Sunday

Derived terms

• dominicalmente

 

Further reading

• “dominical”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014