/dom"euh neuhns/ , n.
1. rule; control; authority; ascendancy.
2. the condition of being dominant.
3. Psychol. the disposition of an individual to assert control in dealing with others.
4. Animal Behav. high status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources, as food, mates, or space.
5. Neurol. the normal tendency for one side of the brain to be more important than the other in controlling certain functions, as speech and language.
Also, dominancy .
[ 1810-20; DOMIN(ANT) + -ANCE ]