Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “-dom” come from?

-dom (Middle English) comes from Old English -dōm, from Proto-West Germanic -dōm, from Proto-Germanic -dōmaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰóh₁mos, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- — to do, put, place.

Ancestry of “-dom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-dōm-dom: state, condition, power, dominion,...
2Proto-West Germanic-dōm—
3Proto-Germanic-dōmazForms nouns denoting the condition or state of...
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰóh₁mosthat which is put, placed
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place

Words derived from “-dom”

  • boredom
  • serfdom
  • stardom
  • officialdom
  • dukedom
  • fandom
  • chiefdom
  • fiefdom
  • princedom
  • superstardom
  • coupledom
  • sheriffdom
  • sheikhdom
  • Mormondom
  • masterdom
  • queendom
  • Slavdom
  • Islamdom
  • tsardom
  • Yankeedom
  • Afrikanerdom
  • bachelordom
  • rebeldom
  • cuckoldom
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →