Dweller

/ˈdwɛlər/ noun

A person who lives in a particular place.

Dweller comes from 'dwell,' which originally meant 'to lead astray' or 'to hinder' in Old English, from the same root as 'dull.' The original meaning was about being delayed or stuck somewhere, not choosing to live there. Over centuries, being 'delayed' in a place gradually became 'remaining' in a place, then 'residing' there. The word preserves the ancient sense that settling down meant being prevented from moving on, not making a positive choice to stay.

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