Domesday Book
English
Alternative forms
- Doomsday Book (uncommon)
Etymology
From Middle English Domesdei. According to Dialogus de Scaccario (circa 1180): Hic liber ab indigenis ‘Domesdei’ nuncupatur, id est dies iudicii per metaphoram. Sicut enim districti et terribilis examinis illius nouissimi sententia nulla tergiuersationis arte ualet eludi, sic cum orta fuerit in regno contentio de hiis rebus que illic annotantur, cum uentum fuerit ad librum, sententia eius infatuari non potest uel impune declinari: its decisions were final, as those on doomsday.
Proper noun
Domesday Book
- (historical) The Book of Winchester; the principal record of the Domesday survey of England carried out in 1086 for William the Conqueror, comprising of two volumes: the Great Domesday Book and the Little Domesday Book.
Synonyms
- Book of Winchester
- Exchequer Domesday
- Liber de Wintonia
Derived terms
- Domesday
- Domesday circuit
- Domesday survey
- Exon Domesday
- Great Domesday Book
- Little Domesday Book
- Winton Domesday
Related terms
- Boldon Book
Translations
Book of Winchester
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Noun
Domesday Book (plural Domesday Books)
- (usually in the plural) One of the volumes of the Domesday Book.
- (figuratively) A record of any other Norman survey.