I. dəˈmestik, dōˈ-, -tēk adjective
Etymology: Middle French domestique, from Latin domesticus, from domus house — more at timber
1. obsolete : enjoying intimate status (as in a household) : being familiar as if at home
2.
a. : relating to the household or the family : concerned with or employed in the management of a household or private place of residence — distinguished from public
affects the house at large and the course of domestic affairs — Herbert Spencer
the servant has risen in the world and become a domestic worker — Gabriel Ullstein
b. : connected with the supply, service, and activities of households and private residences — distinguished from industrial
coke as a fuel for domestic heating plants
sewing, interior decoration, and other domestic arts
a scarcity of domestic help
c. : suited to the physical requirements and livability of a private dwelling
the community, which possesses a domestic architecture of charm and distinction — American Guide Series: North Carolina
also : engaged in designing private dwellings
both an ecclesiastical and a domestic architect
d. : belonging to or incumbent on the family or members of the family
domestic status
the domestic chastity required is recommended in effect to produce an equilibrium population — G.E.Hutchinson
: participated in by or emanating from members of a family
there seemed no place for myself in this domestic tableau — Christopher Isherwood
under strict domestic orders not to sit out of doors — John Buchan
e. : peculiar to or affecting the intimate relations and amenities of a family group living together
Diderot never achieved domestic happiness, either in his marriage or in his many affairs of the heart — J.S.Schapiro
there are others beside Charles Lamb who are peculiarly sensitive to the charm of the domestic — John Dewey
also : associated with family obligations and harmony
her many domestic virtues
weighed down with domestic worries
f. : dealing with the intimate life of a family group
we have the domestic epic dealing with the details of modern life which pass daily under our eyes — Matthew Arnold
domestic drama of the sentimental kind
3. : relating and limited to one's own country or the country under consideration or its internal affairs and interests
4.
a. : belonging or occurring within the sphere of authority or control or the fabric or boundaries of the indicated nation or sovereign state : internal
charts of domestic as well as foreign waters
once a state has assumed such an obligation the matter ceases to be within its domestic jurisdiction — Quincy Wright
specifically : involving activities of or within the national government
a domestic power struggle between the president and the congress
b. : affecting the welfare of or experienced or participated in by the citizenry of the indicated country
a depression that proved one of our worst domestic calamities
evincing a major interest in domestic politics
painting the domestic scene in somber colors
also : living and occupied within one's own country
the various forms of entertainment available to domestic vacationers
all the critics, domestic and foreign — S.P.Sherman
c. : carried on, operating or serving, produced, or distributed within the bounds of the indicated country or region
the domestic shipping industry declined after 1939
the acknowledged power of a state to regulate its police, its domestic trade — John Marshall
domestic corporations, that is, those chartered by the state in which they do business — M.S.Kendrick
short trip services by a domestic airline
formerly scornful of the quality of our domestic wines
caves used for the ripening of a domestic Roquefort-type cheese
cats of various breeds, some domestic , some imported
also : applying only within these bounds
domestic airmail rates
domestic prices of oil products
d. : indigenous
domestic snails representing 12 species of the family Bulimidae
e. : domiciled in the home state of the regulatory authority concerned — used of an insurance company
5.
a. : living near or about the habitations of man
rats, roaches, and other domestic vermin
b. : domesticated , tame
6. : devoted to home duties and pleasures
author of blood-and-thunder novels, yet quite domestic in his tastes
II. noun
( -s )
1. obsolete : housemate
2. obsolete : a native citizen
3. : a household servant
4. : an article of domestic manufacture: as
a. : common cotton cloth (as sheeting)
b. : an American-made rug as distinguished from an Oriental rug
c. domestics plural : household linens and bedding