dome: Meaning and Definition of

dome

Pronunciation: (dōm), [key]
— n., v., domed, dom•ing.
—n.
    1. a vault, having a circular plan and usually in the form of a portion of a sphere, so constructed as to exert an equal thrust in all directions.
    2. a domical roof or ceiling.
    3. a polygonal vault, ceiling, or roof.
  1. any covering thought to resemble the hemispherical vault of a building or room: the great dome of the sky.
  2. anything shaped like a hemisphere or inverted bowl.
  3. (in a dam) a semidome having its convex surface toward the impounded water.
  4. a form having planes that intersect the vertical axis and are parallel to one of the lateral axes.
  5. upwarp.
  6. Also calleda raised, glass-enclosed section of the roof of a passenger car, placed over an elevated section of seats to afford passengers a full view of scenery.
  7. an inner cover for the works of a watch, which snaps into the rim of the case.
  8. a mountain peak having a rounded summit.
  9. a person's head: I wish I could get the idea into that thick dome of yours.
—v.t.
  1. to cover with or as if with a dome.
  2. to shape like a dome.
—v.i.
  1. to rise or swell as a dome.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: