Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for house Expand
Old English hus "dwelling, shelter, house," from Proto-Germanic *husan (cf. Old Norse, Old Frisian hus. Dutch huis. German Haus ), of unknown origin, perhaps connected to the root of hide (v.) [OED]. In Gothic only in gudhus "temple," literally "god-house;" the usual word for "house" in Gothic being razn.
Meaning "family, including ancestors and descendants, especially if noble" is from c.1000. The legislative sense (1540s) is transferred from the building in which the body meets. Meaning "audience in a theater" is from 1660s (transferred from the theater itself, cf. playhouse ); as a dance club DJ music style, probably from the Warehouse. a Chicago nightclub where the style is said to have originated. Zodiac sense is first attested late 14c. To play house is from 1871; as suggestive of "have sex, shack up," 1968. House arrest first attested 1936. On the house "free" is from 1889. And the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came to him, and saide vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue. [2 Kings xx:1, version of 1611]
"give shelter to," Old English husian "to take into a house" (cognate with German hausen. Dutch huizen ); see house (n.). Related: Housed ; housing .
"give shelter to," Old English husian "to take into a house" (cognate with German hausen. Dutch huizen ); see house (n.). Related: Housed ; housing .
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for house Expand
- A brothel; cathouse. whorehouse •Earlier occurrences, from 1726 on, have modifiers: of ill repute, of ill fame, of assignation, of accommodation, etc: A House is not a Home(1865+)
- The audience at a theater (1921+)
- A kind of dance music derived from soul, rock, and jazz, with a strong percussive beat, originally a black Chicago style •Comes in many varieties: deep house, garage, tribal, progressive, etc: to introduce Southern California to ''house,'' the technologically sophisticated dance music that has taken the country by storm/ For years, dance-club regulars have been expecting the boom-chucka-boom beat of house music to conquer pop(mid-1980s+)
[third sense fr the Warehouse, a Chicago club]
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with house Expand