'home-dweller' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'home' and 'dweller'. 'home' ultimately comes from Old English 'hām' where 'hām' meant 'home, village', and 'dweller' derives from the verb 'dwell' (Old English 'dwellan'), where the root meant 'to remain or inhabit'.

'dwell' changed from Old English 'dwellan' to Middle English 'dwellen' and eventually became the Modern English verb 'dwell'; the agent noun 'dweller' developed from that verb, and the compound 'home-dweller' arose in Modern English by joining 'home' + 'dweller'.

Initially the elements meant 'home' and 'one who dwells/inhabits'; over time the compound kept this basic sense and also developed the more colloquial nuance 'one who prefers staying at home'.