at home
at home (idiomatic adverbial phrase)
/æt hoʊm/
Synopsis
“At home” began as a literal expression meaning being in one’s own residence and later evolved into an idiom describing comfort, familiarity, or ease. By the early modern period, it was commonly used in a figurative sense to express confidence or a feeling of belonging in situations beyond physical location, a meaning that remains central today.
Meanings
- Feeling comfortable, confident, or relaxed in a particular situation or environment.
- Being familiar with a subject, activity, or skill; having ease or competence.
- Feeling accepted or that one belongs in a place, group, or social setting.
- Being in one’s own house or place of residence. (literal)
- Being present indoors or available at a residence. (literal)
Synonyms: comfortable; at ease; relaxed; familiar; confident; settled; present; indoors.
Example Sentences
- She felt at home speaking with clients after years of experience in sales.
- He is completely at home with financial data and complex reports.
- From the first week, she felt at home among her new coworkers.
- I stayed at home all day to finish my work. (literal)
- No one was at home when the courier arrived. (literal)
Origin and History
The phrase “at home” is rooted in the long linguistic history of the word “home.” In early English, home referred primarily to a dwelling place, settlement, or inhabited area. Over time, the term expanded beyond physical shelter to include emotional and social dimensions, such as safety, belonging, and familiarity. This semantic broadening laid the foundation for later figurative uses of expressions connected to home, including “at home.”
Literal Use in Early English
In its earliest usage, “at home” functioned as a straightforward locative phrase meaning “in one’s residence.” This sense was firmly established in English well before the modern period and appeared naturally in everyday speech and writing. The construction followed normal grammatical patterns, combining a preposition of position with a noun denoting residence, without any figurative implication.
Shift Toward Figurative Meaning
By the early modern period, “at home” began to acquire a figurative sense. Speakers increasingly used the phrase to describe emotional comfort, ease, or familiarity in situations unrelated to physical location. This metaphorical extension reflects a common linguistic process in English, where the comfort of one’s dwelling becomes a model for psychological or social ease. In this sense, a person could be “at home” in a conversation, profession, or environment without being physically indoors.
Country of Origin
The phrase “at home” originated within England as part of the natural evolution of the English language. Both its literal and figurative meanings developed internally, without evidence of borrowing from another language or culture. Its earliest uses are tied to English-speaking communities in Britain, from which the expression later spread to other varieties of English.
Earliest Printed Record
Printed evidence shows “at home” in literal use in English texts well before the sixteenth century, reflecting its role as an ordinary expression of residence. Figurative usage—meaning comfortable or at ease—appears in printed English by the early 1500s, where it is used naturally and without explanation, indicating that readers already understood its non-literal sense. These early appearances confirm that the idiomatic meaning was established centuries before modern standardization of English.
Social and Cultural Expansion
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, “at home” acquired an additional social meaning in British society. It was used formally to indicate designated times when a household would receive visitors, reinforcing the association between the phrase and ideas of welcome, accessibility, and social ease. Although this usage was culturally specific, it further strengthened the phrase’s connection to comfort and belonging.
Development into a Stable Idiom
Over time, “at home” became a stable idiomatic expression encompassing both literal presence and figurative ease. Its endurance reflects the strength of the underlying metaphor that equates familiarity and confidence with the comfort of one’s dwelling. Today, the phrase remains a core part of English usage, seamlessly moving between physical, emotional, and social contexts.
Variants
- feel at home
- at home with
- make yourself at home
- right at home
- not at home
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