homestead
homestead Lexical Profile
homestead Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A house, especially a farmhouse, together with its adjoining outbuildings and the surrounding land.
"The family worked tirelessly through the autumn to repair the barn and prepare their isolated homestead for the harsh winter."
American A tract of public land granted by the United States government to a settler who resides on and cultivates it, or a primary residence legally protected from forced sale by creditors.
"By filing a formal declaration with the county clerk, the homeowners protected their primary homestead from potential creditors."
• verb
North American To acquire, settle on, or cultivate a tract of land as a homestead, or to live a self-sufficient rural lifestyle.
"After leaving their corporate careers, the couple moved to rural Vermont to homestead on ten acres of wooded land."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English hāmstede, meaning 'a dwelling place or residence', formed from hām ('home') and stede ('place'). In the 19th century, the term gained specific legal significance in the United States through the Homestead Acts, which granted public land to settlers.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.