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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word thuis

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1220–1240, Middle Dutch (Aiol, as te hús)
Ultimate origin
Middle Dutch te,hûs

Pronunciation

Forms

thuis[1] The written forms te huis, tehuis and t'huis also occur; in speech the /h/ is lost, as /tœys/.[2][1] As a noun it is neuter, but masculine in the south.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch thuus, from Middle Dutch te (“at, to”) + hûs (“house”): the preposition te with huis in the sense “place where someone lives”.[3][1][4] The regular dative ending ⟨-e⟩ was already dropped in this phrase in Middle Dutch, but it survives after the article in ⟨ten huize van⟩ “at the house of”.[3] The contracted ⟨thuus⟩, later ⟨thuis⟩, was the usual form already in Middle Dutch, beside the full ⟨te huus⟩, later ⟨te huis⟩ and ⟨tehuis⟩.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch te hús “home(wards)” is first recorded in 1220–1240: te hús si si gedragen brachten, “they carried her home”.[3] The contracted thus follows in 1270, in an order to weave off a cloth and send it home.[3]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the word meant both “to one's house” and “in one's house”: in 1285 someone quam thus to rest, and in 1298 a text speaks of those of the duke's men who would stay at home.[3] The direction sense is now mostly expressed by naar huis: a line of 1513, Jc wil ghaen thuus, would today use naar huis.[2][5] Phrases like thuis brengen and thuis halen are recorded from the 16th and 17th centuries, the latter also of death fetching someone.[2]

The noun “home” appears as early as 1485, of a drunkard who knows well that he has a home.[3] It became common in the 19th century: Het te huis is de hemel eener hollandsche vrouw (1841).[2] In the south the phrase eenen thuis en eenen tonzent hebben meant to have a home of one's own and another where one is always welcome.[2] The form tehuis was later specialised for an institution, a home for the elderly or for children.[3][2]

In sport thuis means on one's own ground.[5] Afrikaans has tuis.[1]

Timeline

  • 1220–1240 – Te hús “home” is first recorded.[3]
  • 1270 – The contracted thus appears.[3]
  • 1298 – A text speaks of those who would stay at home (thus bleue).[3]
  • 1485 – Thuus is used as a noun, “home”.[3]
  • 1513 – Jc wil ghaen thuus, with the sense of direction now given by naar huis.[2]
  • 1617 – Ergens thuisliggen is recorded, first as voor een oordje thuis liggen, to lodge somewhere for a trifle.[6]
  • 1841 – The noun te huis “home” is used of a Dutch household.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. home, to one's house: Na de film fietsten we samen thuis.[5][2]
  2. At home, where one lives: Mijn broer is vanavond niet thuis.[5][1]
  3. (sports) On one's own ground: Ajax speelt zondag thuis.[5]

Noun

  1. Home, the place where one lives and feels at ease: Ze zoekt een nieuw thuis voor haar kat.[5][1][7]

Word family

  • thuiskomen
  • thuiskomst
  • thuisreis
  • thuishaven
  • thuiswaarts
  • thuiswerk
  • thuisblijver
  • thuiswedstrijd
  • thuisclub
  • thuisloos

Usage notes

Doe of je thuis bent is said to put a guest at ease, and niet thuis geven means not to answer the door or the phone, or to be unwilling to respond.[5] Handen thuis! means “don't touch me”.[5] Ergens niet thuis zijn was said in Surinamese Dutch of something improper or out of place.[8] Van Veen and Van der Sijs explain ergens thuisliggen, to have no say somewhere, from the older voor een oordje of een blanck thuis liggen.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  4. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  6. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  7. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  8. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
Cite this entry

“Thuis.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/thuis. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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