Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “housing” come from?

Housing derives from Middle English housen, the Old English plural of hūs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to dwell" or "dwelling place."

housing (English): present participle of house; The activity of...

Definitions

  1. present participle of house; The activity of...

Ancestry of “housing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “housing”

  • cohousing
  • nonhousing
  • microhousing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →