house
/haʊs/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*hūsan — dwelling
Overview
Meaning Now
- A building for human habitation, especially one that consists of a ground floor and one or more upper storeys.
- A religious, commercial, or professional establishment; a firm or institution.
- A legislative body or assembly.
Literal older meaning
a dwelling or shelter
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
hūs
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The term stems from a Proto-Germanic root related to 'hiding' or 'covering', reflecting the early conception of a house as a shelter or protective structure.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*hūsan
“dwelling”
- Old English
hūs
“dwelling, house”
- Middle English
hous
“dwelling”
- Modern English
house
“a building for habitation”
Connections
Word parts
house
root
building/dwelling
Related across languages
German
Haus
house
Dutch
huis
house
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Related to house
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.