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Apartment vs Dwelling - What's the difference?

apartment | dwelling |

As nouns the difference between apartment and dwelling

is that apartment is a complete domicile occupying only part of a building while dwelling is a habitation; a place or house in which a person lives; abode; domicile.

As a verb dwelling is

present participle of lang=en.

apartment

English

(wikipedia apartment)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A complete domicile occupying only part of a building.
    • apartment dwellers
  • (archaic) A suite of rooms within a domicile, designated for a specific person or persons and including a bedroom.
  • *
    • By this contrivance I got into the inmost court; and, lying down upon my side, I applied my face to the windows of the middle stories, which were left open on purpose, and discovered the most splendid apartments that can be imagined. There I saw the empress and the young princes in their several lodgings, with their chief attendants about them.
  • (obsolete) A division of an enclosure that is separate from others; a compartment
  • * 1883 April 23, Slawson ''v.'' Grand Street R. Co. , 107 U.S. 649, 2 S.Ct. 663, 664,
    • The specification described the ordinary fare-box used in street cars and omnibuses, consisting of two apartments', the one directly above the other.... [T]he passenger deposited his fare in an aperture in the top of the upper '''apartment'''. It fell upon and was arrested by a movable platform.... This platform turned on an axis acted on by a lever. When turned, the fare fell into the lower ' apartment , which was a receptacle for holding the fares accumulated....

    Synonyms

    * (domicile occupying part of a building) flat (UK); unit; (compare with) condominium

    Derived terms

    * apartment building

    See also

    * tenement

    dwelling

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) dwelling, . More at dwell.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A habitation; a place or house in which a person lives; abode; domicile.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
    • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=Foreword citation , passage=He turned back to the scene before him and the enormous new block of council dwellings . The design was some way after Corbusier but the block was built up on plinths and resembled an Atlantic liner swimming diagonally across the site.}}
    The old house served as a dwelling for Albert.
    Philip's dwelling fronted on the street. -
    Synonyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * dwellinghouse * dwelling place * lake dwelling: prehistoric structure
    References
    *

    Etymology 2

    From .

    Verb

    (head)
    • I was dwelling in the cave.