earthhouse

English

Alternative forms

  • earth house

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English erthe hous, from Old English eorþhūs, from Proto-West Germanic *erþahūs, from Proto-Germanic *erþahūsą, equivalent to earth +‎ house.

Pronunciation

Noun

earthhouse (plural earthhouses)

  1. (now rare) An underground chamber or habitation; a souterrain.
    • 1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 71:
      There were many other
      heirlooms heaped inside the earth-house,
      because long ago, with deliberate care,
      some forgotten person had deposited the whole
      rich inheritance of a high-born race
      in this ancient cache.
  2. A dwelling that has been built to blend in with the surrounding landscape, being mostly underground with a grassy contoured roof; it may also be completely underground, or have a topping of intensive growth.
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