*hūs

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hūs for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] De Vaan also cites West Germanic *hūs "house", with the diminutive *hūsikīn, in comparing the vowels of coastal and inland Dutch.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hūsą (“house”),^[1] which Orel writes *xūsan and Köbler *hūsa-, *hūsam, and which EWA sets up as *χūsa-.^[3][4][5]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[5][6][7] Ringe and Taylor name Old English hūs among the neuters whose nominative and accusative plural is the same as the singular.^[8]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English hūs, Old Frisian hūs, Old Saxon hūs, Old Dutch hūs and Old High German hūs.^[5] Old High German has it from the 8th century, and it is a common element of place names.^[5] In Old Dutch, ONW records it in Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs of about 1100 and in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible.^[9] EWA holds it uncertain whether the element Lombardic (H)us- of Lombard personal names belongs here, because it can also be put with Old English hyse (“youth, warrior”), common in names.^[5]

Competing analyses

The further origin of the Proto-Germanic noun is uncertain.^[10] EWA finds two roughly equal possibilities, a derivative of a root meaning "to cover" or one of a root meaning "to hide";^[5] Orel takes it for a loan from East Iranian.^[3]

Meanings

1. house^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "dwelling, household, family",^[11] Old Frisian for "church" and "stone house, castle",^[12] and Old High German for "tent", "household", "family" and "lineage".^[5]

Derivatives

• *hūsōn "to house", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Old English hūsian (“to dwell, to give shelter”) is attested, which Köbler compares with Old High German hūsōn.^[14]

Reflexes

• Old English: hūs (“house, dwelling, household, family”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: hūs (“house, church, castle”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: hūs (“house”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: hūs (“house”)^[9]
• Old High German: hūs (“house, building, dwelling, household, family”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūs
2. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2018), Historical Development of Dutch: Phonology & Morphology, Dialects & Stages, course reader, Leiden Summer School in Languages and Linguistics
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 196
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hūs-
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hūs
7. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. hūs
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 378
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. hūs
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūsą
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hūs
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hūs
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hūsōn
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hūsian