ENGLISH
REFERENCE

domicile

n. countable
C1 Advanced UK //dˈɒmɪsˌaɪl// domi·cile Formal Law
Definition

n. the permanent home of a person, especially for legal reasons. It is the place where you live and intend to stay forever.

n. the permanent home of an individual, particularly for legal or tax purposes. Often used in legal contexts to determine jurisdiction or residency rights.


SIMPLE

He changed his domicile to another country after moving there.

CONTEXTUAL

To claim the local tax exemption, you must prove that your domicile is within the city limits.

COMPLEX

The court had to determine the defendant's domicile to establish which state's laws applied to the inheritance dispute, as the individual had lived in three different states over the previous decade.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English domicelle, domicylie, from Middle French domicile and directly from Latin domicilium.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated May 28, 2026