Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A dwelling place; a home.
  • noun The act of abiding; a sojourn.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An omen; a prognostication; a foreboding.
  • To foreshow; prognosticate; forebode.
  • To be an omen; forebode: as, “this abodes sadly,” Dr. H. More, Decay of Christian Piety.
  • noun Stay; continuance in a place; residence for a time.
  • noun A place of continuance; a dwelling; a habitation.
  • noun Delay: as, “fled away without abode,” Spenser.
  • noun Preterit of abide.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete An omen.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To be ominous.
  • transitive verb obsolete To bode; to foreshow.
  • pret. of abide.
  • noun obsolete Act of waiting; delay.
  • noun Stay or continuance in a place; sojourn.
  • noun Place of continuance, or where one dwells; abiding place; residence; a dwelling; a habitation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of abide.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
  • noun housing that someone is living in

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English abod, home, from abiden, to wait; see abide.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English abod, abad, from Old English *ābād, related to ābīdan ("to abide"); see abide. Cognate with Scots abade, abaid ("abode"). For the change of vowel, compare abode, preterit of abide.

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Examples

  • Meant as an entertaining space, the abode is a display of eclectic furniture and interesting textures.

    The EPIC Miami Hotel and Residences 2010

  • In Tehran their abode is the Mission garden, where I have sometimes seen two hundred of this primitive people collected under the trees, where they live.

    Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia 1856

  • At that time, Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi, said that Norris was a "prime target" for execution and that her "proper abode is hellfire."

    MOLLY NORRIS UPDATE: U.S. Muslim leader defends rights of both 'Draw Muhammad' cartoonist, targeted cleric al-Aulaqi Michael Cavna 2010

  • His abode is out of the way and rather cat-inconvenient, but it's not 100% cat-proof.

    The Lovesong of J. Alfred Housefish moriarty6 2007

  • This worthy gave two damsels to Mohammed; one called Sírín and the other Máriyah (Maria) whom the Prophet reserved for his especial use and whose abode is still shown at Al – Medinah.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • “Ye are welcome and well come!” answered the host, and studied to do them honour; so the twain abode with him the rest of their night and as soon as the daylight dawned, they left him and made their way back without aught of delay to the city.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Nur al-Din abode in the ship three days until the merchants had made an end of their precautions and preparations and embarked, when they set sail and putting out to sea, fared on one-and-fifty days.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • So Nur al-Din abode awhile, eating and drinking and making merry and bidding and forbidding those who tended the horses; and whoso neglected or failed to fodder those tied up in the stable wherein was his service, he would thrown down and beat with grievous beating and lay him by the legs in bilboes of iron.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Meanwhile, Nur al-Din abode concealed behind the curtain, under cover of which Miriam and he had passed the night, till it was broad day, when the main door was opened and the church became full of people.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • My favorite abode is a tent in the wilderness, where I shall be happy to serve you a cup of tea out of a tin kettle, and answer further questions.

    The Promised Land 1912

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