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n. 1. a. A roof or vault having a circular, polygonal, or elliptical base and a generally hemispherical or semispherical shape. b. A geodesic dome. 2. A domelike structure or object. 3. Geology Any of various natural structures having a rounded shape, especially: a. A system of strata that is uplifted in the center, forming a concentric anticline. b. A mass of granite that has been weathered into a rounded shape by exfoliation. c. A mound formed by the extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. 4. Chemistry A form of crystal with two similarly inclined faces that meet at an edge parallel to the horizontal axis. 5. Slang The human head. 6. Archaic A large, stately building. v. domed, dom·ing, domes v.tr. 1. To cover with or as if with a dome. 2. To shape like a dome. v.intr. To rise or swell into the shape of a dome. [From French dôme, dome, cathedral (from Italian duomo, cathedral, from Latin domus, house; see dem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) and from French dôme, roof (from Provençal doma, from Greek dōma, house; see dem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] domal (dōməl) adj.  (click for a larger image) dome (click for a larger image) dometop: c. 685-691 ad Dome of the Rock Jerusalem bottom: lava dome within Panum Crater, near Mono Lake Lee Vining, California |
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