domicile

1 of 2

noun

do·​mi·​cile ˈdä-mə-ˌsī(-ə)l How to pronounce domicile (audio) ˈdō- How to pronounce domicile (audio)
ˈdä-mə-sil
variants or less commonly domicil
1
: a dwelling place : place of residence : home
2
law
a
: a person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes
Report your change of domicile.
b
business : residence sense 2b

domicile

2 of 2

verb

domiciled; domiciling

transitive verb

law
: to establish in or provide with a domicile
the state where the decedent was domiciled

Did you know?

Domicile Has Latin Roots

Domicile traces to Latin domus, meaning "home," and English speakers have been using it as a word for "home" since at least the 15th century. In the eyes of the law, a domicile can also be a legal residence, the address from which one registers to vote, licenses a car, and pays income tax. Wealthy people may have several homes in which they live at different times of the year, but only one of their homes can be their official domicile for all legal purposes.

Examples of domicile in a Sentence

Noun You will need to report your change of domicile to your insurance company. Students must establish a domicile in the state to be eligible for reduced tuition. Verb the university domiciles students in a variety of buildings in and around its urban campus
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Zhao himself kept to a series of international domiciles, apparently most recently in Dubai; the headquarters of the firm itself have been hard to pin down. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 This really struck me during covid, when the affluent endlessly griped and/or joked about being bored in their domiciles while having an endless supply of food and toys delivered by people who were expected to show up and do their jobs, pandemic or not. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 22 Oct. 2023 Such a body, with authority rooted in government support, would be well positioned to prevent global tech players from engaging in regulatory arbitrage or hiding behind corporate domiciles. Ian Bremmer and Mustafa Suleyman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2023 The streets and domiciles appear to have organically sprouted rather than resulting from any civic planning. Eddie Lin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023 Remember Hong Kong Exchange, AIA, and Macao casino stocks are technically not Chinese companies due to their corporate domicile being in Hong Kong. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 Larry Keele, retired cofounder of one of the world's largest asset management firms, Oaktree Capital, listed his family's forested domicile, crisscrossed by rivers in Leiper's Fork. USA TODAY, 29 June 2023 Pitt is not a French citizen who keeps the chateau as his domicile. Rachel Shin, Fortune, 11 July 2023 Masterful Saturn is beginning its retrograde phase in your 4th House of Foundations, indicating this is your karmic moment to work through any issues or complications that may be stirring in your domicile. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2023
Verb
Many high-tech Chinese firms, recognizing the desirability of this business environment, established Hong Kong domiciles. Yasheng Huang, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2023 Unilever, which was founded in 1929, even consolidated its two headquarters in Rotterdam and London in favor of being domiciled in the British capital city. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023 And companies domiciled in Dubai and Hong Kong, for instance—some of them formed over the last year—have begun trading the Rosneft and Gazprom hauls abandoned by the likes of Shell and Exxon. Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 22 Feb. 2023 By having more funds domiciled in Singapore, the government hopes to not only attract more cash, but also jobs in the legal and accounting sectors. Bloomberg.com, 8 May 2020 The current crisis might instead prompt us to ask whether companies domiciled in tax havens have any right to come crying to governments for a handout. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 1 May 2020 That wasn’t the case five years ago when AbbVie sought to reduce its tax bill by merging with Shire, which was domiciled in Ireland where the corporate rate is 12.5% and intellectual property is taxed at 6.25%. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 June 2019 That levy, collected at the end of December, falls heavily on American giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, which have frequently been criticized for sidestepping local taxes by domiciling core operations in lower-tax nations. Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2020 For centuries, a vast range of African art has been domiciled outside the continent. Oluwatosin Adeshokan, Quartz Africa, 7 Mar. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'domicile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin domicilium, from domus — see dome entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1809, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of domicile was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near domicile

Cite this Entry

“Domicile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domicile. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

domicile

1 of 2 noun
dom·​i·​cile
ˈdäm-ə-ˌsīl,
ˈdō-mə-;
ˈdäm-ə-səl
: a place to live : home

domicile

2 of 2 verb
domiciled; domiciling
: to establish in or provide with a place to live
Etymology

Noun

from early French domicile "place where one lives, home," from Latin domicilium (same meaning), from domus "house" — related to dome, domestic

Legal Definition

domicile

1 of 2 noun
do·​mi·​cile ˈdä-mə-ˌsīl, ˈdō- How to pronounce domicile (audio)
1
: the place where an individual has a fixed and permanent home for legal purposes

called also legal residence

2
: the place where an organization (as a corporation) is chartered or that is the organization's principal place of business compare citizenship, residence

Note: The domicile of an individual or organization determines the proper jurisdiction and venue for legal process. The courts of a person's domicile have personal jurisdiction. For persons lacking capacity (as minors), domicile is often statutorily determined as the domicile of the guardian.

domicile

2 of 2 transitive verb
domiciled; domiciling
: to establish in or provide with a domicile
an alien admitted to the United States for permanent residence shall be deemed a citizen of the State in which such alien is domiciledU.S. Code
any state in which a corporation is domiciledL. H. Tribe
Etymology

Noun

Latin domicilium dwelling place, home

More from Merriam-Webster on domicile

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