hūsą (Proto-Germanic)

Where does "hūsą" come from?

The Proto-Germanic noun 'hūsą', meaning 'house', has an uncertain origin[1]. It is possibly inherited from the Proto-Indo-European form '*(s)kuH-s-o-m', which stems from '*(s)kewH-' meaning 'to cover or hide'[1]. This earlier root relates to a covered shelter that eventually shifted in meaning to signify a house[1].

Open questions

• The derivation of the Proto-Germanic term from Proto-Indo-European remains uncertain and rests on thin evidence. [1]

Full etymology tree

• *hūsą (Proto-Germanic), 'house'
  • derived *(s)kuH-s-o-m (Proto-Indo-European)
    • derived *(s)kewH- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cover, conceal, hide'

Descendants and derived words

• hus (Crimean Gothic)
• hús (Old Norse)
• *blōtahūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *dōmahūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *erþahūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *fehuhūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *gastihūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *gudahūsą (Proto-Germanic)
• *hūsalausaz (Proto-Germanic)
• *hūsijaną (Proto-Germanic)
• *hūsōną (Proto-Germanic)
• *kurnahūsą (Proto-Germanic)

Sources

1. hūsą (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris