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

1. (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

• Estonian: William Vallutaja maakataster
• Latin: Angliae Notitia et Lustratio, Censualis Angliae, Liber Censualis, Liber Judicarius, Liber Judiciarius, Liber Regis, Liber de Thesauro, Liber de Wintonia, Rotulus Regis, Rotulus Wintoniae, Scriptura Thesauri Regis
• Macedonian: Кни́га на Стра́шниот суд f (Kníga na Strášniot sud), Кни́га на Су́дниот ден f (Kníga na Súdniot den)

Noun

Domesday Book (plural Domesday Books)

1. (usually in the plural) One of the volumes of the Domesday Book.
2. (figurative) A record of any other Norman survey.