dominant

From Middle French dominant.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒmɪnənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑmənənt/

dominant (plural dominants)

1. (music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
2. (music) The triad built on the dominant tone.
3. (genetics) A gene that is dominant.
   • 1930, R. A. Fisher, ‎J. H. Bennett, The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (page 50)

     Finally, if we suppose provisionally that the mutant genes are dominant just as often as they are recessive, selection will be far more severe in eliminating the disadvantageous dominants than in eliminating the disadvantageous recessives.

4. A species or organism that is dominant.
   • 1966, John R. Bassett, ‎Southern Forest Experiment Station (New Orleans, La.), Thinning loblolly pine from above and below

     Landowners cannot afford to cut submerchantable trees, yet many hesitate to cut merchantable dominants and codominants at the risk of downgrading the residual stand.

5. (BDSM) The dominating partner in sadomasochistic sexual activity.
   • 2011, Jayne Rylon, Mistress's Master (page 65)

     His story was a fable you told dominants in training to stress the importance of comprehending the depths of your submissive's needs.

dominant (comparative more dominant, superlative most dominant)

1. Ruling; governing; prevailing

   The dominant party controlled the government.

   • Macaulay

     The member of a dominant race is, in his dealings with the subject race, seldom indeed fraudulent, […] but imperious, insolent, and cruel.

2. Predominant, common, prevalent, of greatest importance.

   The dominant plants of the Carboniferous were lycopods and early conifers.

   • 2009, H. Stephen Stoker, General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry, page 10

     All other elements are mere "impurities" when their abundances are compared with those of these two dominant elements.

3. (medicine) Designating the follicle which will survive atresia and permit ovulation.

• (ruling, governing): imposing
• (predominant, common): prevalent

• (ruling): obedient, submissive (one who obeys); defiant, rebellious (one who defys)

dominant (masculine and feminine plural dominants)

1. dominant

• Audio

  (file)

dominant (comparative dominanter, superlative dominantst)

1. dominant

• IPA^(key): /dɔ.mi.nɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

dominant

1. present participle of dominer

dominant (feminine singular dominante, masculine plural dominants, feminine plural dominantes)

1. dominant

• “dominant” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ant

dominant (comparative dominanter, superlative am dominantesten)

1. dominant

• dominant in Duden online