Meaning & use
residency house
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableIndianregional
The official home provided by a government or organization for a senior official such as a governor, judge, or officer.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a residency house' or 'the residency house'. Plural: 'residency houses'.
Patterns
- the residency house of someone
- a residency house for someone
The district collector lives in the residency house near the beach.
The old residency house was built during the colonial period and is now a museum.
Guests were received at the residency house on Independence Day.
nouncountableformal
A house where a person lives, especially one that is part of a larger property or used as an official residence.
Grammar: Countable; often used in legal or formal contexts to distinguish from commercial buildings.
Patterns
- residency house on a property
- residency house and office
The property includes a main office building and a separate residency house for the manager.
They converted the old residency house into a guesthouse for visiting scholars.
Word forms
| plural | residency houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- official residency house
- The governor moved into the official residency house last month.
- live in a residency house
- Senior officers are required to live in a residency house provided by the department.
- residency house complex
- The residency house complex includes a garden and a small office.
- maintain a residency house
- The government spends a lot to maintain each residency house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- official residence
- This is the more common term in British and American English; 'residency house' is mainly South Asian.
- residence
- A general word for a home; 'residency house' specifically implies an official or formal function.
- quarters
- Often used for military or staff housing; 'residency house' suggests a more senior or official position.
Word family
- reside verb
- To live in a particular place.
- residence noun
- A person's home, especially an official one.
- resident noun
- A person who lives in a particular place.
- residential adjective
- Suitable for or relating to living in.
Commonly confused: residency house or residence?
residency house vs residence
'Residence' is the general word for a home; 'residency house' is a specific term for an official house, mostly in South Asian English.
Practice
The governor moved into the ______ after the election.
Choose one answer.
'Residency house' is the correct term for an official home provided for a senior official. 'Residence house' is not a standard compound; 'resident house' and 'residential house' mean different things (a house for residents or a house in a residential area).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “residency house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.