Domicile is the Latin rung of the ladder whose lower steps are house and mansion. It came into English in the mid-1400s, both through Old French and directly from Latin domicilium, which appears to be domus, "house," plus colere, "to dwell." The word is long, formal, and slightly cold — which is exactly the register English reserves for its directly borrowed Latin.
That coldness has been put to use. In law, a domicile is not just where you live but specifically the residence you have no intention of leaving, or mean to return to — a technical distinction the plain word house could not carry. This is the standard division of labour in English: the native word for the ordinary thing, the French word for the grander version, and the Latin word for the precise or professional one.
domicile (n.) mid-15c., "place of residence of a person or family," from Old French domicile (14c.) and directly from Latin domicilium , perhaps from domus "house" (from PIE root *dem- "house, household") + colere "to dwell" (see colony ). In law, specifically, "that residence from which there is no intention to remove, or a general intention to return" (mid-18c.). As a verb, "to establish in a fixed residence," it is attested by 1762 (implied in domiciled ). Related: Domiciliary . also from mid-15c.
domicile came in through Latin, and its spelling follows that family's conventions.
On the register ladder
English kept all three words for this idea, one from each layer, and the rung is itself the cue: the native word is blunt and concrete, the French one polite, the Latin one formal or technical.
| Old English | French | Latin |
|---|---|---|
| house | mansion | domicile |