*hūsą

Reconstruction

The word is *hūsą in Wiktionary,^[1] cited by its stem *hūsa- in Kroonen and Köbler,^[2][3] *χūsa- in EWA^[4] and *xūsan in Orel;^[5] Köbler also gives *hūza-.^[3]

Etymology

Kroonen calls it etymologically obscure, but finds it plausible that the neuter is a thematicised s-stem *kuH-so- from Proto-Indo-European *kuH- (“to cover”), which would give an original sense "shelter";^[2] Wiktionary gives the same derivation as possible, from *(s)kuH-s-o-m.^[1]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[2][4][3]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic only in the compound Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌷𐌿𐍃 (gudhūs, “temple”), and Old Norse hús, Old English hūs, Old Frisian hūs, Old Saxon hūs and Old High German hūs.^[2][6][4] The simple word is recorded in Crimean Gothic, as hus "house", in a record of 1562.^[6][7] EWA counts the Old Norse word for a heathen temple, Old Norse goðahús, as a parallel formation, not a match of the Gothic compound.^[4] De Vries reports Stender-Petersen's view that the Old Norse word was borrowed into Slavic.^[8]

Competing analyses

Kroonen rejects the old comparison with Ancient Greek κεύθω (keúthō, “to hide”), because the related *huzda- "hoard" shows a root *keudʰ- without a laryngeal.^[2] Feist reports that most scholars derived the word from that root *keudh-.^[6] Orel takes it as a borrowing from an East Iranian *xuz or *xud, from Iranian *kata-, compare Avestan kata- (“room, cellar”);^[5] Wiktionary also mentions an East Iranian source.^[1] Holthausen compared Norwegian and Old Norse words for "skull" and "case", and perhaps a Sanskrit word for "container".^[9]

Meanings

1. house^[2][5][3][1]

Kauffmann, cited by Feist, held that the word named a house of one room, while a house of several rooms was called by another word.^[6] Old English also used it for "dwelling, household, family",^[9] Old Frisian for "church" and "stone house, castle",^[10] and Old High German for "building, hut, tent, family, lineage".^[4]

Derivatives

• *hūsōną "to house" and *hūsijaną "to house, to harbour".^[11][12]
• Compounds: *gudahūsą "temple", *dōmahūsą "court-house", *fehuhūsą "stable" and *erþahūsą "underground dwelling".^{[13][14][15][16]}

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌷𐌿𐍃 (gudhūs, “temple”), in the compound only^[6]
• Old Norse: hús (“house”)^[8]
• Old English: hūs (“house, dwelling, household, family”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: hūs (“house, church, castle”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: hūs (“house”)^[17]
• Old High German: hūs (“house, building, dwelling, family”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūsą
2. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 260
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hūs-
4. ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. hûs
5. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 196
6. ^ a b c d e Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. gud-hūs
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hūs
8. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 268
9. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hūs
10. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hūs
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūsōną
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūsijaną
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gudahūsą
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dōmahūsą
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fehuhūsą
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *erþahūsą
17. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. HŪS