A Domain Was a Lord's Land Before It Was a Web Address
A domain is a territory or field of activity. The internet took the word for an address, and mathematics for a set of inputs.
A domain is a territory under one authority, or a field of activity. Three technical fields borrowed it: the internet uses it for a registered address, mathematics for the set of inputs a function accepts, and biology for the highest rank of classification, above kingdom. All keep the idea of a bounded area of control.
- A territory. *The royal domain.*
- A field of activity. *Outside my domain.*
- A web address. *Register a domain.*
- A set of inputs. *The domain of the function.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | domain | A private domain. |
| Plural | domains | Several domains. |
| Related | dominion | British dominion. |
| Related | demesne | The lord's demesne. |
| Compound | public domain | In the public domain. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The work is in the public domain.Copyright has expired.
- They registered the domain name.Internet.
- Biology has three domains.Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya.
Domain in different fields
- Law — public domain means free of copyright
- Internet — a registered name such as example.com
- Mathematics — the set of valid inputs to a function
- Biology — the highest taxonomic rank
- Eminent domain — the American term for compulsory purchase by the state
From French *domaine*, from Latin *dominium*, property, from *dominus*, lord. *Demesne* is the same word in an older English spelling.
What does public domain mean?
That a work is free of copyright and may be used by anyone without permission.
Are domain and dominion related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *dominus*, a lord, and both name an area under someone's authority.