kingdom

[king-duh m] /ˈkɪŋ dəm/
noun
1.
a state or government having a king or queen as its head.
2.
anything conceived as constituting a realm or sphere of independent action or control:
the kingdom of thought.
3.
a realm or province of nature, especially one of the three broad divisions of natural objects:
the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.
4.
Biology. a taxonomic category of the highest rank, grouping together all forms of life having certain fundamental characteristics in common: in the five-kingdom classification scheme adopted by many biologists, separate kingdoms are assigned to animals (Animalia), plants (Plantae), fungi (Fungi), protozoa and eucaryotic algae (Protista), and bacteria and blue-green algae (Monera).
5.
the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.
6.
the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English; Old English cyningdōm. See king, -dom
Related forms
underkingdom, noun
Synonyms
1. Kingdom, monarchy, realm refer to the state or domain ruled by a king or queen. A kingdom is a governmental unit ruled by a king or queen: the kingdom of Norway. A monarchy is primarily a form of government in which a single person is sovereign; it is also the type of power exercised by the monarch: This kingdom is not an absolute monarchy. A realm is the domain, including the subjects, over which the king has jurisdiction; figuratively, a sphere of power or influence: the laws of the realm. 2. dominion, empire, domain.
Examples from the web for kingdom
  • Bringing a few people from outside can have an impact on the ones who don't make it outside the kingdom.
  • As the two-week meeting unfolded, however, conflict kept disrupting this peaceable kingdom.
  • No one is suggesting that the plant kingdom isn't doing its fair share.
  • Some of the best true-blue blossoms in the plant kingdom are found in this group.
  • Each newly sequenced genome allows scientists to determine how humans stack up against other members of the animal kingdom.
  • Designers of military robots have long looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration.
  • The miniscule water boatman makes the loudest sound for body size in the animal kingdom.
  • It turns out maps are a kingdom unto themselves, replete with their own culture, history and peoples.
  • When it comes to courtship, mankind has nothing on the animal kingdom.
  • Orchids are the great seducers of the animal kingdom.
British Dictionary definitions for kingdom

kingdom

/ˈkɪŋdəm/
noun
1.
a territory, state, people, or community ruled or reigned over by a king or queen
2.
any of the three groups into which natural objects may be divided: the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms
3.
(biology) any of the major categories into which living organisms of the domain Eukarya are classified. Modern systems recognize four kingdoms: Protoctista (algae, protozoans, etc), Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia See also domain (sense 12)
4.
(theol) the eternal sovereignty of God
5.
an area of activity, esp mental activity, considered as being the province of something specified: the kingdom of the mind
Derived Forms
kingdomless, adjective
Word Origin and History for kingdom
n.

Old English cyningdom; see king + -dom. Cognate with Old Saxon kuningdom, Middle Dutch koninghdom, Old Norse konungdomr. The usual Old English word was cynedom; Middle English also had kingrick (for second element, see Reichstag). Meaning "one of the realms of nature" is from 1690s. Kingdom-come "the next world" (1785) is from the Lord's Prayer.

kingdom in Science
kingdom
  (kĭng'dəm)   
The highest classification into which living organisms are grouped in Linnean taxonomy, ranking above a phylum. One widely accepted system of classification divides life into five kingdoms: prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. See Table at taxonomy.
kingdom in Culture

kingdom definition


In biology, the largest of the divisions of living things. The best-known kingdoms are those of the plants and animals. Modern biologists recognize three additional kingdoms: Monera (or Prokaryotae) (for example, bacteria and blue-green algae), Protoctista (for example, red algae, slime molds, and amoebas and other protozoa), and fungi. (See Linnean classification.)