Chapter Dogmatic School to Dominicans of D by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Dominic (St.) (1170-1221.) A Spanish priest who founded the Inquisition, and the order called the Dominicans or Preaching Friars. He was called by the Pope "Inquisitor - General," and was canonised by Gregory IX.
    Some say the Inquisition existed in 1184, when Dominic was under fourteen years of age.
   He is represented with a sparrow at his side, and a dog carrying in its mouth a burning torch. The devil, it is said, appeared to the saint in the form of a sparrow, and the dog refers to a dream which his mother had during pregnancy. She dreamt that she had given birth to a dog, spotted with black and white spots, which lighted the world with a burning torch.
   He is also represented sometimes with a city in his hand and a star either on his forehead or on his breast; sometimes also with a sword in his hand and a pile of books burning beside him, to denote his severity with heretics.

Dominical Letters The letters which denote the Sundays or dies dominica. The first seven letters of the alphabet are employed; so that if A stands for the first Sunday in the year, the other six letters will stand for the other days of the week, and the octave Sunday will come round to A again. In this case A will be the Sunday or Dominical Letter for the whole year.

Dominicans Preaching friars founded by Dominic de Guzman, at Toulouse, in 1215. Formerly called in England Black Friars, from their black dress, and in France Jacobins, because their mother-establishment in Paris was in the Rue St. Jacques.