domicile

American  

[dom-uh-sahyl, -suhl, doh-muh-] / ˈdɒm əˌsaɪl, -səl, ˈdoʊ mə- /

Or domicil

noun

1. a place of residence; house or home; abode.

2. Law. a permanent legal residence.

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verb (used with object)

domiciled, domiciling

1. to establish in a domicile.

domicile British  

/ ˈdɒmɪˌsaɪl, ˈdɒmɪˌsɪl /

noun

1. a dwelling place

2. a permanent legal residence

3. commerce the place where a bill of exchange is to be paid

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verb

1. to establish or be established in a dwelling place

Other Word Forms

• undomiciled adjective

Etymology

Origin of domicile

First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French, from Latin domicilium, equivalent to domicol(a) ( domi-, combining form of domus “house” + -cola “dweller”; colonus ) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

Because if we think about domicile as “presence with intent to remain,” well, enslaved people didn’t intend to remain anywhere!

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Wong Kim Ark “concerned children of aliens with a lawful domicile in the United States, not children of temporarily present aliens or illegal aliens.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Instead, it’ll be “somewhere on the East Coast,” while Delaware will be the legal domicile.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 10, 2025

While Coupang is eligible due to a Delaware domicile, it’s probably a long shot since most of its business is in South Korea.

From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025

From the humble beginnings of the storefront on Hart Street, to the respectable but by no means splashy domicile off Beniteau, Assumption was finally going to get a grand church building.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides