Meanings
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1
noun
historical: a lord or master; a title formerly applied to a knight, cleric, or academic master
The chronicler addressed the abbot as dominus of the estate.
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2
noun
law: an owner rather than a user, or a principal rather than an agent
The court treated the landholder as dominus and the tenant as user.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin dominus, 'lord, master, or owner.' It survives in historical titles and in technical legal contrasts such as owner versus user and principal versus agent.