Residence

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛz.ɪ.dəns/

Definitions

1. A place where someone lives permanently or for an extended period of time
2. A dwelling or abode that serves as someone's principal place of habitation
3. A location or building where an individual habitually lives or stays for a long time

Etymology: Residence began as a word about sitting still. The Latin verb "resideō" meant "to sit back, remain, settle," built from "re-" (back, again) and "sedeō" (to sit), the same root that gives English "sedentary" and "session." Its present participle "residēns" gave Medieval Latin "residentia," which meant something like a remaining or staying in one place, and the sense of a fixed dwelling grew out of that idea of settling down. The word came into English through Old French "residence," and Middle English speakers used it for the act of staying or dwelling somewhere before the sense of the physical home took hold. A useful companion is "residencia," a doublet that came into English from Spanish and kept the old sense of a governor's official seat or the place where a court stayed, which shows how the same Latin root split into two paths.

Synonyms: home, dwelling, abode

Antonyms: absence, departure