house

house · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kewH-der.?
2. Proto-Germanic*hūsą
3. Proto-West Germanic*hūs
4. Old Englishhūs
5. Middle Englishhous
6. English todayhouse

From Middle English hous, hus, from Old English hūs (“dwelling, shelter, house”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūs, from Proto-Germanic *hūsą (“house”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kews-, from *(s)kewH- (“to cover, hide”). More at hose. Eclipsed non-native Middle English mees, meson, measoun (“house”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman mes, mies, meis, maisun (“house”). The uncommon plural form housen is from Middle English husen, housen. (The Old English nominative plural was simply hūs.) Cognates Cognate with Scots hoose, oos (“house”), Yola heouse, houze, howze (“house”), North Frisian hüs (“house”), Saterland Frisian Huus, Húus (“house”), West Frisian hûs (“house”), Alemannic German hous, hus, husch, hüs, hüüsch (“house”), Bavarian, Cimbrian, Mòcheno haus (“house”), Central Franconian Haus, Hous, Huus (“home”), Dutch huis (“house”), Dutch Low Saxon hoes, huus (“house”), German Haus, Hauß (“house”), German Low German Huus (“house”), Limburgish hoes, Huus (“house”), Luxembourgish Haus (“house”), Vilamovian haojs, haus, hoüz (“house”), Yiddish הויז (hoyz, “house”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish hus (“house”), Elfdalian aus (“house”), Faroese and Icelandic hús (“house”), Crimean Gothic hus (“house”); also Cornish kudha (“to conceal, hide”), Welsh cuddio (“to hide”), Latin cutis (“human skin; hide, leather”), Ancient Greek κεύθω (keúthō, “to cover, hide”), Tocharian A kāc (“hide, skin”), Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunāti, “to cover”).

house · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hūsōną“to house, live, dwell”
2. Old English · inherited fromhūsian
3. Middle English · inherited fromhousen
4. English todayhouse

From Middle English housen, from Old English hūsian, from Proto-Germanic *hūsōną (“to house, live, dwell”), from the noun (see above). Compare Dutch huizen (“to live, dwell, reside”), German Low German husen (“to live, dwell, reside”), German hausen (“to live, dwell, reside”), Norwegian Nynorsk husa (“to house”), Faroese húsa (“to house”), Icelandic húsa (“to shelter, house”).

house · noun³

Probably from The Warehouse, a nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, USA, where the music became popular around 1985.

House · proper noun⁴

1. Old English · derived fromhyse“place overgrown with water plants”
2. English todayHouse

* As an English surname, from the noun house. * Also as an English surname, variant of Howes. * Also as a topographic English surname, from a derivative of Old English hyse (“place overgrown with water plants”), from hos (“bramble, thorn, sprout”). This may have also made its way into Hose, Huss. * As a German surname, calqued from the surname Haus.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 9th c. A structure built or serving as an abode of human beings.
• from 9th c. An apartment building within a public housing estate.
• from 9th c. The people who live in a house; a household.
• from 10th c. A building used for something other than a residence (typically with qualifying word).
• from 10th c. A place of business; a company or organisation, especially a printing press, a publishing company, or a couturier.
• from 10th c. A place of public accommodation or entertainment, especially a public house, an inn, a restaurant, a theatre, or a casino; or the management thereof.
• from 10th c. A workhouse.
• from 10th c. The audience for a live theatrical or similar performance.