Sorns

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Imposes oneself on another household for food and lodging, often for an extended stay and without any real welcome
2. Takes up residence with friends or relatives and lives at their expense, usually as a freeloading guest
3. Lodges at someone else's home and depends on their generosity while contributing nothing in return, a Scottish custom

Etymology: "Sorns" is the third-person singular present form of "sorn," a verb used chiefly in Scotland for taking up residence in someone else's home without permission or payment, often by squatting on the property of a lodger's landlord or a neighbor. The verb is associated with the Scots and Northern English tradition of sorning, a practice that has long been a matter of local legal concern. The verb's origin is uncertain, though it is perhaps related to "sojourn," a word meaning a temporary stay. The link is plausible in sense, since both describe staying somewhere for a time, but the connection in form is not firmly established, and it should be treated as a suggestion rather than a settled history.

Synonyms: sponge, freeload, mooch