What does dominical mean?
Domineal is a formal English adjective meaning “of or relating to Sunday,” especially Sunday understood as the Christian Lord's day. It is a specialist or literary word rather than a common name for the day, and it survives most clearly in ecclesiastical calendar vocabulary. The best-known expression is “dominical letter,” a letter assigned to a year to indicate the weekday on which the church year begins. “Dominical year” and “dominical observance” can also occur in religious writing. The adjective carries a formal and mildly traditional tone, giving it a more solemn quality than “Sunday” itself. Although it is not necessary for most readers, it preserves a useful historical distinction between simply naming a weekday and treating it as a sacred observance. It also offers a compact way to discuss church calendars, liturgies, and the Christian Sabbath.
adjectiveRelating to Sunday, especially to Sunday understood as the Christian Lord's day. In ecclesiastical usage, it may also refer to the calendar system used to determine the year of the church.
- Relating to Sunday or its observance as the Lord's day, especially in ecclesiastical or calendar terminology.
"The dominical letter indicates the weekday on which the ecclesiastical year begins."
"The parish consulted the dominical letter before scheduling the year's major observances."
"Sunday's weekly service retained a distinctly dominical character."
The word preserves Sunday's older title, "the Lord's day," in a form still used for the church calendar.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dominical come from?
The adjective came into English through Middle English from the Latin adjective dominicalis, meaning “of the Lord's day.” It ultimately derives from Latin dies dominica, literally “the Lord's day,” formed from dominus, “lord,” and dies, “day.” Sunday and Romance cognates such as Spanish domingo reflect the same Latin phrase, while dominant, dominate, and dominion share the Latin root dominus.
Related word forms
How dominical is actually used
A formal, largely ecclesiastical or literary term that is uncommon in everyday speech.
Easily confused with dominical
Domestic means relating to a household or a country's internal affairs, whereas dominical refers specifically to Sunday or the Lord's day.