Abode

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbəʊd/

Definitions

1. A place that serves as a residence or living space An establishment or environment where one finds shelter and comfort A location that functions as a home or domicile for an individual or family
2. A location where someone lives or stays ; a house or other place serving as a living space
3. Any place used for living in by a person or family ; a home providing shelter and personal space

Etymology: The noun "abode" is a surprise in its own right: it is a noun that grew out of a verb's past tense. The verb "abide" once had a past form "abode", and speakers later took that form and used it as a noun meaning a dwelling. Before that, the noun came from an Old English word "ābād", a cousin of "ābīdan", meaning "to abide" or remain. Scots still keeps a closely related form, "abade", for the same sense. The word's history is tangled by a second source. Middle English "abeden" meant "to announce" or "to command", descending from Old English "ābēodan", and it was altered through association with "bode", meaning to presage or portend. So the same spelling was pulled in two directions, one toward staying put and one toward proclaiming, and the two strands merged in the modern spelling.

Synonyms: home, residence, dwelling, habitation, quarters

Antonyms: homelessness, displacement