Doom First Meant a Judgement, Not a Disaster
Doom is ruin or destruction. The Old English word meant a legal judgement, which is why the Domesday Book has its name.
Doom is ruin, destruction or an inescapable fate. Old English *dom* meant a judgement or law, with no suggestion of catastrophe: a *doomsman* was a judge and the *Domesday Book* of 1086 was so called because its record was final, beyond appeal, like a last judgement. Only through the Christian Day of Doom did the word darken into disaster. The suffix in *kingdom*, *freedom* and *wisdom* is the same word, meaning a state of being judged or held.==
- Ruin or destruction. *Sealed his doom.*
- A judgement (archaic). *A doom pronounced.*
- Doomsday. *Doomsday.*
- The -dom suffix. *Kingdom.*
- Old English — *dom*, a judgement. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | doom | Doom. |
| Verb | doom | Doomed. |
| Adjective | doomed | Doomed. |
| Compound | doomsday | Doomsday. |
| Old English | dom | A judgement. |
- The plan was doomed from the start.Fate.
- The Domesday Book was final.History.
- Kingdom uses the same word.Etymology.
The -dom suffix
- Kingdom — the realm a king judges
- Freedom — the state of being free
- Wisdom — the state of being wise
- Boredom — a much later coinage on the same pattern
- All descend from the same word as doom
Old English *dom*, a judgement, statute or decree, of Germanic origin.
Why is it called the Domesday Book?
Because its record was treated as final and beyond appeal, like the judgement on the Day of Doom.
Is the -dom in kingdom the same word?
Yes. Kingdom, freedom and wisdom all use the same Old English word meaning judgement or state.