A term of endearment in addressing a lover

dŏmĭnus (in inscrr. sometimes written by syncop. DOMNVS), i, m. [Sanscr. damanas, he who subdues, root dam-; Gr. damaô, damnêmi, v. domo] Prop., one who has subdued or conquered; hence, a master, possessor, ruler, lord, proprietor, owner (cf. herus).

Prop.: quam dispari Dominare domino! Poëta ap. Cic. Off. 1, 39, 139:

nec domo dominus, sed domino domus honestanda est, etc.,

Cic. ib. 39, 139; cf. id. Fin. 1, 18, 58:

(vilicus) consideret, quae dominus imperaverit, fiant, etc.,

Cato R. R. 5, 3 sq.;

so opp. servus,

Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 227; id. Mil. 3, 1, 149; Ter. Ad. 5, 6, 6; id. Eun. 3, 2, 33; Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 17; id. ap. Non. 355, 19; Cic. Deiot. 11, 30; Sall. J. 31, 11 et saep.;

opp. familia,

Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 9;

opp. ancilla,

Cic. de Or. 2, 68, 276; and (with herus) Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 3; cf. id. Ps. 4, 7, 90 sq.; Cic. N. D. 2, 63 et saep.—Also of the master's son, the young master, Plaut. Capt. prol. 18:

siet in iis agris, qui non saepe dominos mutant... de domino bono colono melius emetur,

Cato R. R. 1, 4; cf. Cic. Att. 12, 19; id. de Sen. 16, 56; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 174; so,

rerum suarum,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 5, 11: auctionum, id. [p. 609] Quint. 5, 19:

insularum,

Suet. Caes. 41:

equi,

id. ib. 61 et saep.—

In gen., a master, lord, ruler, commander, chief, proprietor, owner (in republican Rome of public men, usually with the accessory notion, unlawful, despotic):

hujus principis populi et omnium gentium domini atque victoris,

Cic. Planc. 4 fin.; id. Off. 3, 21, 83; cf.:

quippe qui (sc. populi) domini sint legum, judiciorum, belli, pacis, foederum, capitis, uniuscujusque, pecuniae,

id. Rep. 1, 32:

di domini omnium rerum ac moderatores,

id. Leg. 2, 7; cf. id. Fin. 4, 5; id. Univ. 7:

videsne, ut de rege (sc. Tarquinio) dominus exstiterit? hic est enim dominus populi, quem Graeci tyrannum vocant, etc.,

id. Rep. 2, 26; cf. id. 1, 45; Verg. A. 4, 214.— Trop.:

liberatos se per eum dicunt gravissimis dominis, terrore sempiterno ac nocturno metu,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 21;

of the judge: qui rei dominus futurus est,

id. de Or. 2, 17, 72; poët. of the possessor of an art, Ov. M. 1, 524; 13, 138.—

Poet., sometimes as an adj.:

dominae manus,

Ov. Am. 2, 5, 30:

arae,

Stat. Th. 5, 578:

praebere caput domina venale sub hasta,

the auction spear, Juv. 3, 33.—

In partic.

With or without convivii or epuli, the master of a feast, the entertainer, host, Cic. Vatin. 13; Lucil., Varr., and Sall. ap. Non. 281, 21 sq.; Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 11, 5; Liv. 23, 8 al.—

The master of a play or of public games; the employer of players or gladiators:

quae mihi atque vobis res vortat bene Gregique huic et dominis atque conductoribus,

Plaut. As. prol. 3; Cic. Att. 2, 19, 3.—

In the period of the empire (Augustus and Tiberius declined it, Suet. Aug. 53; Tib. 27), a title of the emperors, Suet. Dom. 13; Mart. 5, 8; 10, 72; Phaedr. 2, 5, 14; Inscr. Orell. 1109; 1146 al.—

A term of endearment in addressing a lover, Ov. Am. 3, 7, 11.—

In respectful greeting, like our Sir, Sen. Ep. 3; Mart. 6, 88; Suet. Claud. 21.—

A master or assignee of a forfeited estate, Cic. Quint. 15, 50.—

Of Christ, the Lord (eccl. Lat.):

Augusti Caesaris temporibus natus est Dominus Christus,

Oros. 6, 17 fin.; Vulg. Johan. 13, 13 et saep.