The word “radome” is a portmanteau of the words “radar” and “dome” — it’s literally a dome that protects radar equipment. Radar technology was widely adopted in World War I, but it was still evolving. Figuring out how to protect the equipment from the elements, while still allowing signals to pass through the material, was a huge advancement in the technology. The word “radar” itself is an acronym for “radio detection and ranging.”