House noun ; plural Houses . [ Middle English hous , hus , Anglo-Saxon h...s ; akin to Old Saxon & OFries. h...s , Dutch huis , Old High German h...s , German haus , Icelandic h...s , Swedish hus , Danish huus , Goth. gud h...s , house of God, temple; and probably to English hide to conceal. See Hide , and confer Hoard , Husband , Hussy , Husting .]
1. A structure intended or used as a habitation or shelter for animals of any kind; but especially, a building or edifice for the habitation of man; a dwelling place, a mansion.

Houses are built to live in; not to look on.

Bacon.

Bees with smoke and doves with noisome stench
Are from their hives and houses driven away.

Shak.

2. Household affairs; domestic concerns; particularly in the phrase to keep house . See below.

3. Those who dwell in the same house; a household.

One that feared God with all his house .

Acts x. 2.

4. A family of ancestors, descendants, and kindred; a race of persons from the same stock; a tribe; especially, a noble family or an illustrious race; as, the house of Austria; the house of Hanover; the house of Israel.

The last remaining pillar of their house ,
The one transmitter of their ancient name.

Tennyson.

5. One of the estates of a kingdom or other government assembled in parliament or legislature; a body of men united in a legislative capacity; as, the House of Lords; the House of Commons; the House of Representatives; also, a quorum of such a body. See Congress , and Parliament .

6. (Com.) A firm, or commercial establishment.

7. A public house; an inn; a hotel.

8. (Astrol.) A twelfth part of the heavens, as divided by six circles intersecting at the north and south points of the horizon, used by astrologers in noting the positions of the heavenly bodies, and casting horoscopes or nativities. The houses were regarded as fixed in respect to the horizon, and numbered from the one at the eastern horizon, called the ascendant , first house , or house of life , downward, or in the direction of the earth's revolution, the stars and planets passing through them in the reverse order every twenty- four hours.

9. A square on a chessboard, regarded as the proper place of a piece.

10. An audience; an assembly of hearers, as at a lecture, a theater, etc.; as, a thin or a full house .

11. The body, as the habitation of the soul.

This mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Cæsar what he can.

Shak.

12. [ With an adj., as narrow , dark , etc.] The grave. "The narrow house ." Bryant.

» House is much used adjectively and as the first element of compounds. The sense is usually obvious; as, house cricket, house maid, house painter, house work.

House ant (Zoology) , a very small, yellowish brown ant ( Myrmica molesta ), which often infests houses, and sometimes becomes a great pest. -- House of bishops (Prot. Epis. Ch.) , one of the two bodies composing a general convertion, the other being House of Clerical and Lay Deputies. -- House boat , a covered boat used as a dwelling. -- House of call , a place, usually a public house, where journeymen connected with a particular trade assemble when out of work, ready for the call of employers. [ Eng.] Simonds. -- House car (Railroad) , a freight car with inclosing sides and a roof; a box car. -- House of correction . See Correction . -- House cricket (Zoology) , a European cricket ( Gryllus domesticus ), which frequently lives in houses, between the bricks of chimneys and fireplaces. It is noted for the loud chirping or stridulation of the males. -- House dog , a dog kept in or about a dwelling house. -- House finch (Zoology) , the burion. -- House flag , a flag denoting the commercial house to which a merchant vessel belongs. -- House fly (Zoology) , a common fly (esp. Musca domestica ), which infests houses both in Europe and America. Its larva is a maggot which lives in decaying substances or excrement, about sink drains, etc. -- House of God , a temple or church. -- House of ill fame . See Ill fame under Ill , adjective -- House martin (Zoology) , a common European swallow ( Hirundo urbica ). It has feathered feet, and builds its nests of mud against the walls of buildings. Called also house swallow , and window martin . -- House mouse (Zoology) , the common mouse ( Mus musculus ). -- House physician , the resident medical adviser of a hospital or other public institution. -- House snake (Zoology) , the milk snake. -- House sparrow (Zoology) , the common European sparrow ( Passer domesticus ). It has recently been introduced into America, where it has become very abundant, esp. in cities. Called also thatch sparrow . -- House spider (Zoology) , any spider which habitually lives in houses. Among the most common species are Theridium tepidariorum and Tegenaria domestica . -- House surgeon , the resident surgeon of a hospital. -- House wren (Zoology) , the common wren of the Eastern United States ( Troglodytes aëdon ). It is common about houses and in gardens, and is noted for its vivacity, and loud musical notes. See Wren . -- Religious house , a monastery or convent. -- The White House , the official residence of the President of the United States; -- hence, colloquially, the office of President. -- To bring down the house . See under Bring . -- To keep house , to maintain an independent domestic establishment. -- To keep open house , to entertain friends at all times.

Syn. -- Dwelling; residence; abode. See Tenement .

House transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Housed ; present participle & verbal noun Housing .] [ Anglo-Saxon h...sian .]
1. To take or put into a house; to shelter under a roof; to cover from the inclemencies of the weather; to protect by covering; as, to house one's family in a comfortable home; to house farming utensils; to house cattle.

At length have housed me in a humble shed.

Young.

House your choicest carnations, or rather set them under a penthouse.

Evelyn.

2. To drive to a shelter. Shak.

3. To admit to residence; to harbor.

Palladius wished him to house all the Helots.

Sir P. Sidney.

4. To deposit and cover, as in the grave. Sandys.

5. (Nautical) To stow in a safe place; to take down and make safe; as, to house the upper spars.

House intransitive verb
1. To take shelter or lodging; to abide to dwell; to lodge.

You shall not house with me.

Shak.

2. (Astrol.) To have a position in one of the houses. See House , noun , 8. "Where Saturn houses ." Dryden.

Housebote noun [ House + bote .] (Law) Wood allowed to a tenant for repairing the house and for fuel. This latter is often called firebote . See Bote .

Housebreaker noun One who is guilty of the crime of housebreaking.

Housebreaking noun The act of breaking open and entering, with a felonious purpose, the dwelling house of another, whether done by day or night. See Burglary , and To break a house , under Break .

Housebuilder noun One whose business is to build houses; a housewright.

Housecarl noun [ Middle English huscarle . See House , and Carl .] (Eng. Archæol.) A household servant; also, one of the bodyguard of King Canute.

Household noun
1. Those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family.

And calls, without affecting airs,
His household twice a day to prayers.

Swift.

2. A line of ancestory; a race or house. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Household adjective Belonging to the house and family; domestic; as, household furniture; household affairs.

Household bread , bread made in the house for common use; hence, bread that is not of the finest quality. [ Obsolete] -- Household gods (Rom. Antiq.) , the gods presiding over the house and family; the Lares and Penates ; hence, all objects endeared by association with home. -- Household troops , troops appointed to attend and guard the sovereign or his residence.

Householder noun The master or head of a family; one who occupies a house with his family.

Towns in which almost every householder was an English Protestant.

Macaulay.

Compound householder . See Compound , adjective

Housekeeper noun
1. One who occupies a house with his family; a householder; the master or mistress of a family. Locke.

2. One who does, or oversees, the work of keeping house; as, his wife is a good housekeeper ; often, a woman hired to superintend the servants of a household and manage the ordinary domestic affairs.

3. One who exercises hospitality, or has a plentiful and hospitable household. [ Obsolete] Sir H. Wotton.

4. One who keeps or stays much at home. [ R.]

You are manifest housekeeper .

Shak.

5. A house dog. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Housekeeping noun
1. The state of occupying a dwelling house as a householder.

2. Care of domestic concerns; management of a house and home affairs.

3. Hospitality; a liberal and hospitable table; a supply of provisions. [ Obsolete]

Tell me, softly and hastily, what's in the pantry?
Small housekeeping enough, said Phœbe.

Sir W. Scott.

Housekeeping adjective Domestic; used in a family; as, housekeeping commodities.

Housel noun [ Middle English housel , husel , Anglo-Saxon hūsel ; akin to Icelandic hūsl , Goth. hunsl a sacrifice.] The eucharist. [ Archaic] Rom. of R. Tennyson.

Housel transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon hūslian .] To administer the eucharist to. [ Archaic] Chaucer.

Houseleek noun [ House + leek .] (Botany) A succulent plant of the genus Sempervivum ( S. tectorum ), originally a native of subalpine Europe, but now found very generally on old walls and roofs. It is very tenacious of life under drought and heat; -- called also ayegreen .

Houseless adjective Destitute of the shelter of a house; shelterless; homeless; as, a houseless wanderer.

Houselessness noun The state of being houseless.

Houseline noun (Nautical) A small line of three strands used for seizing; -- called also housing . Totten.

Houseling adjective Same as Housling .

Housemaid noun A female servant employed to do housework, esp. to take care of the rooms.

Housemaid's knee (Medicine) , a swelling over the knee, due to an enlargement of the bursa in the front of the kneepan; -- so called because frequently occurring in servant girls who work upon their knees.

Housemate noun One who dwells in the same house with another. R. Browning.

Houseroom noun Room or place in a house; as, to give any one houseroom .

Housewarming noun A feast or merry-making made by or for a family or business firm on taking possession of a new house or premises. Johnson.

Housewife noun [ House + wife. Confer Hussy .]
1. The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household. Shak.

He a good husband, a good housewife she.

Dryden.

2. (Usually pronounced ....) [ See Hussy , in this sense.] A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; -- called also hussy . [ Written also huswife .] P. Skelton.

3. A hussy. [ R.] [ Usually written huswife .] Shak.

Sailor's housewife , a ditty-bag.

Housewife, Housewive transitive verb To manage with skill and economy, as a housewife or other female manager; to economize.

Conferred those moneys on the nuns, which since they have well housewived .

Fuller.

Housewifely adjective Pertaining or appropriate to a housewife; domestic; economical; prudent.

A good sort of woman, ladylike and housewifely .

Sir W. Scott.

Housewifery noun The business of the mistress of a family; female management of domestic concerns.

Housework noun The work belonging to housekeeping; especially, kitchen work, sweeping, scrubbing, bed making, and the like.

Housewright noun A builder of houses.

Housing noun [ From House . In some of its senses this word has been confused with the following word.]
1. The act of putting or receiving under shelter; the state of dwelling in a habitation.

2. That which shelters or covers; houses, taken collectively. Fabyan.

3. (Architecture) (a) The space taken out of one solid, to admit the insertion of part of another, as the end of one timber in the side of another. (b) A niche for a statue.

4. (Machinery) A frame or support for holding something in place, as journal boxes, etc.

5. (Nautical) (a) That portion of a mast or bowsprit which is beneath the deck or within the vessel. (b) A covering or protection, as an awning over the deck of a ship when laid up. (c) A houseline. See Houseline .

Housing noun [ From Houss .]
1. A cover or cloth for a horse's saddle, as an ornamental or military appendage; a saddlecloth; a horse cloth; in plural, trappings.

2. An appendage to the hames or collar of a harness.

Housling adjective [ See Housel .] Sacramental; as, housling fire. [ R.] Spenser.

Houss noun [ French housse , Late Latin hulcia , from Old High German hulst ; akin to English holster . See Holster , and confer 2d Housing .] A saddlecloth; a housing. [ Obsolete] Dryden.

Houstonia noun [ New Latin So named after Dr. William Houston , an English surgeon and botanist.] (Botany) A genus of small rubiaceous herbs, having tetramerous salveform blue or white flower. There are about twenty species, natives of North America. Also, a plant of this genus.

Houtou noun [ From its note.] (Zoology) A beautiful South American motmot. Waterton.

Houve noun [ Anglo-Saxon hūfe .] A head covering of various kinds; a hood; a coif; a cap. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Houyhnhnm noun One of the race of horses described by Swift in his imaginary travels of Lemuel Gulliver. The Houyhnhnms were endowed with reason and noble qualities; subject to them were Yahoos, a race of brutes having the form and all the worst vices of men.

Hove imperfect & past participle of Heave .

Hove short , Hove to . See To heave a cable short , To heave a ship to , etc., under Heave .

Hove intransitive verb & t. To rise; to swell; to heave; to cause to swell. [ Obsolete or Scot.] Holland. Burns.

Hove intransitive verb [ Middle English hoven . See Hover .] To hover around; to loiter; to lurk. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Hovel noun [ Middle English hovel , hovil , probably a dim. from Anglo-Saxon hof house; akin to D. & German hof court, yard, Icelandic hof temple; confer Prov. English hove to take shelter, heuf shelter, home.]
1. An open shed for sheltering cattle, or protecting produce, etc., from the weather. Brande & C.

2. A poor cottage; a small, mean house; a hut.

3. (Porcelain Manuf.) A large conical brick structure around which the firing kilns are grouped. Knight.

Hovel transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Hoveled or Hovelled ; present participle & verbal noun Hoveling or Hovelling .] To put in a hovel; to shelter.

To hovel thee with swine, and rogues forlon.

Shak.

The poor are hoveled and hustled together.

Tennyson.

Hoveler noun One who assists in saving life and property from a wreck; a coast boatman. [ Written also hoveller .] [ Prov. Eng.] G. P. R. James.

Hoveling noun A method of securing a good draught in chimneys by covering the top, leaving openings in the sides, or by carrying up two of the sides higher than the other two. [ Written also hovelling .]

Hoven obsolete or archaic past participle of Heave .

Hoven adjective Affected with the disease called hoove ; as, hoven cattle.

Hover noun [ Etymol. doubtful.] A cover; a shelter; a protection. [ Archaic] Carew. C. Kingsley.

Hover intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Hovered ; present participle & verbal noun Hovering .] [ Middle English hoveren , and hoven , probably orig., to abide, linger, and from Anglo-Saxon hof house; confer OFries. hovia to receive into one's house. See Hovel .]
1. To hang fluttering in the air, or on the wing; to remain in flight or floating about or over a place or object; to be suspended in the air above something.

Great flights of birds are hovering about the bridge, and settling on it.

Addison.

A hovering mist came swimming o'er his sight.

Dryden.

2. To hang about; to move to and fro near a place, threateningly, watchfully, or irresolutely.

Agricola having sent his navy to hover on the coast.

Milton.

Hovering o'er the paper with her quill.

Shak.