Domiciliary Visit

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

An official visit paid by the police or other authorities to a private dwelling in order to search for in- criminating papers, etc. In Britain a magi- strate's warrant must be obtained before a domiciliary visit can be made.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Domiciliary Visit” mean?

An official visit paid by the police or other authorities to a private dwelling in order to search for in- criminating papers, etc. In Britain a magi- strate's warrant must be obtained before a domiciliary visit can be made.

Is “Domiciliary Visit” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.