domicile

domicile (dom'usīl") [key], one's legal residence. This may or may not be the place where one actually resides at any one time. The domicile is the permanent home to which one is presumed to have the intention of returning whenever the purpose for which one is absent has been accomplished. One may simultaneously have a temporary lodging for a short time at one place, a more permanent abode called a residence at another, and a domicile at still another place. Usually the domicile of the husband and father determines that of wife and children. Determining domicile is important in defining the legal status of a person and the nationality of a public corporation (a legal person) under international law.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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