What does "kingdom" mean?

1. (monarchical state) a country or territory that is ruled by a king or a queen. 2. (biological group) one of the main groups that scientists use to classify living things, such as animals or plants. 3. (conceptual realm) an area or field where a particular person, thing, or idea is the most important.

kingdom

US //ˈkɪŋdəm// UK //kˈɪŋdəm// king·dom

1 monarchical state (n.)
A2 Elementary

a country or territory that is ruled by a king or a queen.

a state or territory having a monarch as its head.

Example

The ancient kingdom was famous for its beautiful castles and brave knights.

Example

The United Kingdom remains a constitutional monarchy where the sovereign's powers are largely ceremonial and defined by established legal conventions.
- republic
2 biological group (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Science

one of the main groups that scientists use to classify living things, such as animals or plants.

a high-level taxonomic rank in biological classification, situated below domain and above phylum.

Example

Mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom rather than the plant kingdom.

Example

In modern biological taxonomy, the animal kingdom is distinguished from other groups by the multicellular nature and heterotrophic metabolism of its members.
- category
- taxon

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3 conceptual realm (n.)
C1 Advanced Literary

an area or field where a particular person, thing, or idea is the most important.

a realm, region, or conceptual space where a specific influence or entity is dominant.

Example

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Example

The poet's work explores the inner kingdom of the human mind, where dreams and memories hold more power than physical reality.

Origin

From Middle English kingdom, kyngdom, from Old English cyningdōm from Proto-Germanic *kuningadōmaz, equivalent to king + -dom. Cognate with Scots kingdom, West Frisian keuningdom, Dutch koningdom, German Königtum, Danish kongedømme, Swedish kungadöme, and Icelandic konungdómur. Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *kunją Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kʷo-der.? Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Germanic *-īnaz Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz ? Proto-Germanic *-ingaz Proto-Germanic *kuningaz Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *dʰóh₁mos Proto-Germanic *dōmaz Proto-Germanic *-dōmaz Proto-Germanic *kuningadōmaz Proto-West Germanic *kuningadōm Old English cyningdōm Middle English kingdom English kingdom

Idioms2 entries