Reside

How to spell reside

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce reside

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reside mean?

1. verbTo have one's permanent home in a particular place, or for a quality or right to be located in something.

Reside in a sentence

• The couple now reside in a quiet coastal town.

• Final authority to approve the budget continues to reside with the board.

Where does reside come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb residere, which literally meant 'to sit back', 'to remain behind' or 'to settle', formed from the prefix re- meaning 'back' and the verb sedere meaning 'to sit'. The same sedere root sits beneath a whole family of familiar English words, including 'sediment' (matter that settles), 'session' (a sitting), and even 'president' (one who sits before others). English took reside in during the fifteenth century, partly through Old French, with the early sense of staying or remaining in a place rather than just visiting. Over time the meaning narrowed to the modern idea of having one's permanent home somewhere. Remembering that you are essentially 'sitting back' and settling in helps fix the single s, pronounced like a z, that often trips writers up.

How the word is built

• re- (back)
• sid (from Latin sedere: to sit)
• -e