French-speaking academic literature makes abundant use of the notions of anchoring and rootedness when dealing with dwelling and residential practices. Though the metaphoric origin of these notions can be evoked, and even exploited by the authors, it is generally glossed over. This article seeks to revive the metaphorical dimension of these terms by adding two others – mooring and docking. Our goal is twofold. First, we demonstrate that by taking the terms seriously, it is possible to have them designate different types of relationships to place, which directly use underlying images. Second, we discuss how these images participate in the poetics of knowledge that distills the effects of truth, whose motivations must be sought out in the major epistemological options that have been adopted.