I. ˈhōm-ˌsted, -stid noun
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : the home and adjoining land occupied by a family
b. : an ancestral home
c. : house
2. : a tract of land acquired from United States public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract
II. -ˌsted verb
Date: 1872
transitive verb
: to acquire or occupy as a homestead
intransitive verb
: to acquire or settle on land under a homestead law
• home·stead·er -ˌste-dər noun