domestici

Domestici is a term used in Italian and Latin with several related but distinct meanings centered on the idea of the household or domestic life.

Etymology and general sense

The word derives from Latin domesticus, meaning belonging to the house. In Italian, domestici is the plural form of domestico and can function as an adjective or a noun. It denotes things or people associated with the home or with household life, and it appears in many compound phrases.

Italian usage

As an adjective, domestico describes anything related to the home, such as elettrodomestici (household appliances) or animali domestici (domestic animals). In everyday language, domestici can also refer to people employed in a home, i.e., domestic staff (i domestici). The plural form is common in contexts describing multiple items or people connected to a household.

Historical and Latin usage

In late antiquity and classical Latin, domestici (plural of domesticus) designated members of the imperial household and staff. The corps known as the comites domestici served the emperor and performed both military and administrative duties within the imperial entourage. This usage reflects the broader sense of “those belonging to the house” in a formal, institutional framework and is mainly encountered in historical and scholarly texts.

Modern cross-linguistic notes

In Spanish, the related term domésticos (with an accent) similarly covers household items or domestic workers when used in plural form, and in English the word domestici appears primarily in historical or Latin-language contexts as a proper noun for the ancient corps.

See also

Domestic, Domestic animal, Household appliance, Imperial guard (late Roman)