residence

[rez-i-duhns]

noun

1. the place, especially the house, in which a person lives or resides; dwelling; home.

   Their residence is in New York City.

   Synonyms: domicile, habitation

2. a structure serving as a dwelling or home, especially one of large proportion and superior quality.

   They have a summer residence in Connecticut.

   Synonyms: mansion

3. the act or fact of residing.

   during his residence in Spain.

4. the act of living or staying in a specified place while performing official duties, carrying on studies or research, awaiting a divorce, etc..

   She will spend two terms in resident at Oxford University.

5. the time during which a person resides in a place.

   a residence there of five years.

   Synonyms: sojourn, abode, stay

6. the location of the main offices or principal center of business activity of a commercial enterprise, especially a large corporation, as registered under law.

7. Chemistry.,  residence time.

residence

/ ˈrɛzɪdəns /

noun

1. the place in which one resides; abode or home

2. a large imposing house; mansion

3. the fact of residing in a place or a period of residing

4. the official house of the governor of any of various countries

5. the state of being officially present

6. 1. actually resident

      the royal standard indicates that the Queen is in residence

   2. designating a creative artist resident for a set period at a university, college, etc, whose role is to stimulate an active interest in the subject

      composer in residence

7. the seat of some inherent quality, characteristic, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of residence¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin residentia, equivalent to Latin resid(ēre) “to dwell, live in, reside” + -entia noun suffix; reside, -ence

Synonym Study

See house.

Example Sentences

Real estate experts say claiming primary residences on different mortgages at the same time is often legal and rarely prosecuted.

From Salon

While proof of residence is required for first-time voters to cast a ballot in a federal election, it is not required to cast a ballot in a state election.

From Los Angeles Times

"He is a hero for the entire village," says Ram Dayal, whose daughter was injured in the 25 July incident and now goes to school at Mr Singh's residence.

From BBC

When he wasn’t working, he was shuttling between his nine residences in Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean, a staggering collection likely best explained by his disdain for hotel rooms.

From Los Angeles Times

Of those flares, 600 were within a mile of a residence, the agency’s data showed.

From Salon

Related Words

• apartment 
• condo 
• dwelling 
• hall 
• headquarters 
• home 
• house 
• mansion 
• palace