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Within the British Empire and in the Commonwealth of Nations, a Dominion is a current or former territory of the shared Crown over the Commonwealth Realms (and the United Kingdom itself). A dominion is a territory or region under absolute ownership, and can also refer to supreme authority, or sovereignty. Hence it is a synonym of realm, and is often used to describe the lands reigned over by a monarch. Thus, the term originated within the British Empire during the development of British constitutional law, when it became the practice to refer to the Crown of England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom "and the dominions thereto belonging or appertaining".