Where does “dominant” come from?

Dominant comes from Middle French dominant, meaning "ruling" or "exercising authority over."

dominant (English): The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on

Definitions

  1. The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on

Ancestry of “dominant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchdominant—

Words derived from “dominant”

Every word from Middle French dominant →