Stardom

How to spell stardom

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce stardom

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does stardom mean?

1. nounThe state of being a famous and successful performer or celebrity.

Stardom in a sentence

• The young actress rose to stardom after her first film.

• Years of touring small clubs finally led the band to stardom.

Where does stardom come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word joins two thoroughly native English elements. The first, star, comes from the Old English steorra, the same word that named the points of light in the night sky; by the early 1800s English speakers had begun using star figuratively for a brilliant or leading performer who shines above the rest. The second part, the suffix -dom, descends from the Old English dom, meaning a state, rank, or jurisdiction, the very same element that gives us kingdom, freedom, and wisdom. Stitched together, the two pieces literally describe the condition of being a star. The compound is relatively young, appearing in the later nineteenth century as the entertainment and theatre worlds grew, and it has kept its simple spelling throughout, with no doubled letters or silent traps to worry about.

How the word is built

• star (a celebrity, from Old English steorra: star)
• -dom (suffix denoting state or condition)