# resident

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/ · frequency rank #3,782

## Definitions
1. A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
2. A bird which does not migrate during the course of the year.
3. A physician receiving postgraduate medical training in a hospital or clinic.
4. A diplomatic representative who resides in a foreign country, usually of inferior rank to an ambassador.
5. A legal permanent resident, someone who maintains residency.
6. Alternative form of rezident.

## Etymology
From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“to sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. The espionage sense is a semantic loan from Russian резиде́нт (rezidént).
(physician): So called because in the 19th century they resided in the hospital dormitories.

## Easily confused with
- **reticent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/resident-vs-reticent)
- **residents** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/resident-vs-residents)
- **resilient** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/resident-vs-resilient)
- **reside** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reside-vs-resident)
- **resent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/resent-vs-resident)
- **regiment** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/regiment-vs-resident)
- **residence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/residence-vs-resident)
- **residency** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/residency-vs-resident)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ersident`, `reisdent`, `resdient`, `residdent`, `residennt`, `residentt`, `residetn`, `residnet`, `resiednt`, `ressident`, `rresident`, `rseident`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/resident