¦ noun
1. a person who lives somewhere on a long-term basis.
a bird, butterfly, or other animal of a species that does not migrate.
Brit. a guest in a hotel who stays for one or more nights.
US a pupil who boards at a boarding school.
2. N. Amer. a medical graduate engaged in specialized practice under supervision in a hospital.
3. an intelligence agent in a foreign country.
4. historical a British government agent in any semi-independent state, especially the Governor General's representative at the court of an Indian state.
¦ adjective
1. living somewhere on a long-term basis.
having quarters on the premises of one's work.
attached to and working regularly for a particular institution.
(of a bird, butterfly, or other animal) non-migratory.
2. (of a computer program, file, etc.) immediately available in computer memory, rather than having to be loaded from elsewhere.
Derivatives
residentship noun (historical).
Origin
ME: from L. resident-, residere 'remain'.