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Today it means

dominate

to have control over

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Where does the word "dominate" come from? It comes from Latin dominari, and was adopted directly into English (1610s).

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Where does the word "dominate" come from? It comes from Latin dominari, and was adopted directly into English (1610s).

Dominate’s story begins in Latin: dominari meant “to rule.” From 'dominus', lord. It reached English by 1610s as dominate. 'dominant' genes date from 1900. Today, dominate means to have control over.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient dominari "to rule", from 'dominus', lord.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1610s dominate "to rule", 'dominant' genes date from 1900.

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