(a) A building for human residence, house, dwelling; (b) fig. the grave or bier; (c) a house as property; (d) ~ of dwellinge, a dwelling house, residence; ~ and hom, house and home; ~ no hold, house nor dwelling; (e) ben (haven) in ~ with, to live with (sb.); bringen into (to, til) ~, don to ~, fecchen til ~, bring (sb. or sth.) home; comen to ~ upon, fig. become familiar with (sb.); kepen in ~, keep (sb.) at home; receven in(to ~, receive (sb.) as a guest, entertain (sb.); (f) fro(m ~ to ~, from house to house; ~ bi ~, house after house, from house to house; in ~, in a house, indoors; in one's house, at home; out (of) ~, out of one's house; to ~, into one's house; within ~, indoors; withouten ~, out-of-doors.

(a) A place of habitation, dwelling place, abode; also fig. [see also soule ~]; (b) a place to stay, shelter; a person's place of lodging; (c) a building or apartment for the lodging of guests or strangers, guest house; a public inn; comena hus, ~ to the gestes, the guest house of a monastery [see also gest ~]; (d) a place where a family is established, seat.

(a) A structure for housing domestic animals or birds, a shed, pen, coop; douves ~, a dove cote [see also bullok ~, cou ~, douve ~, oxe ~, net ~, shep ~, swin ~, etc.]; (b) something which serves an animal for shelter or habitation; also fig.

(a) A building, structure, edifice; (b) a portion of a building, an apartment, a chamber, room; a cabin on a ship; (c) a room, apartment, or building used for a particular activity or purpose; barboures ~, a barbershop; derk ~, a prison; ~ of bordel, a brothel; ~ of chaffaring (marchaundise), a house of trade; ~ of ese (esement), a privy; ~ of the laue, a prison; ~ of office, a room, apartment, or outbuilding specially devoted to domestic activity or household storage [see also bake ~, bordel ~, breu ~, cart ~, cloth ~, countour ~, daie ~, gang ~, hord ~, hore ~, hot ~, kilne ~, nourice ~, prisoun ~, prive ~, qualm ~, slaughter ~, smith ~, steue ~, stor ~, til ~, tol ~, ware ~, water ~, werk ~, wod ~, wol ~, etc.]; (d) the building in which an assembly or association customarily meets; also, the assembly or association meeting there; commune(s ~, louere ~, the House of Commons, as a place of assembly and as a legislative body; heigher ~, the House of Lords [see also chapitre ~, congregacioun ~, counseil ~, dom ~, gild ~, halle ~, mot ~, parlement ~, semble ~, shire ~, etc.]; (e) an establishment where philosophy is taught, a school of philosophy; (f) ~ incorporat, an incorporated establishment or institution.

(a) A church; a temple, synagogue; a pagan shrine; goddes ~, ~ of god, ~ of the (oure) lord, a church, temple, synagogue; also fig.; ~ of bene (orisounes, preiere, preiinge), a building devoted to prayer and religious service; ~ of holi chirche, a Christian church; cristes ~, a church; fig. the Church; holi ~, a consecrated building, a church; also fig.; (b) a place of divine presence or habitation, God's abode in heaven; cristes ~, fader ~, goddes ~, heigh ~, holi ~, ~ of god (mi fader); (c) derk ~, loth ~, hell; ~ of helle, the Devil's abode in hell; pl. the abode of Pluto in Hades [quot.: ?a1425].

(a) A house or set of buildings occupied by a religious community; a monastery, convent, friary, a house for anchorites; ~ of ordre, ~ of religioun; (b) a religious community or establishment, a monastery, convent, friary; a religious order or fraternity; an establishment for charitable purposes, an alms house; taken ~, to enter a religious order; (c) goddes ~, convent; religious order; also, an alms house; holi ~, convent; ~ of grace, ?alms house; ~ of religioun, religious ~, convent, monastery; charitable establishment; also, a pagan temple [see also bede ~, sik ~].

(a) A family or clan; descendants and kinsmen, a lineage, kindred; also fig.; cousin of ~, a kinsman; (b) the inmates of a house, a family with its servants, a household; the household of a king or nobleman with an entourage of attendants and retainers, a court; holden a worthi ~, to provide well for the household and for visitors and guests; in ~, of ~, belonging to a household; ladi (hotestre) of ~, mistress of a household; also fig.; lord of ~, master or steward of a household; goddes ~, the Church as God's household; jacobes ~, fig. the kingdom of the saved [quot.: a1400]; arthures ~, the court of King Arthur; peteres ~, the Roman See.

Astrol. (a) A sign of the zodiac as the seat of a planet and the position of its greatest influence, mansion; ~ of exaltacioun, a sign of the zodiac as the resting place of a planet in exaltation; ~ of triplicite, a sign of the zodiac belonging to a set of three, distant 120 degrees from each other; (b) one of the twelve divisions of the celestial sphere made by great circles passing through the north and south points of the horizon, mundane house; ~ of heven, mundane house; ~ of the ascendent (mountant), the mundane house just below the eastern horizon, counted as the first house.

Combs. & cpds.: (a) ~ beste, a domestic animal; ~ breche [OE hūs-bryce], housebreaking, burglary; ~ brekere, a person who commits housebreaking, a burglar; ~ brekinge, breaking into a house with felonious intent; ~ brennere, a person who commits house burning, an incendiary; ~ brenninge, the willful or malicious burning of a house, arson; (b) ~ carpenter, house carpenter; ~ chaumbre, a room in a house, ?a storage room or work room; ~ cop, a house roof; ~ dore, a house door; ~ douve, a domestic pigeon; ~ eves(es, ~ evesing, the eave(s of a house; ~ fastene, ~ fastenter [cp. OE hūsfæst adj.], householders; ~ folk, a household, family; (c) ~ gavel, customary rent for a house, a customary tax on houses, house gavel; ~ goter, house gutter; ~ helinge, house roof; ~ hen, a domestic hen; ~ hire, rent for the use of a house, house rent; ~ keper, keeper of a household, overseer, steward; (d) ~ ladi, mistress of the household; ~ leue [OE hūs-hlēow], shelter, lodging; ~ leuth [cp. OE hlēowþ], lodging, shelter; ~ lord, master of the household; also fig.; ~ meine, ~ menage, the servants or retainers belonging to a household; also fig.; ~ middes, the middle or midst of a house; (e) ~ rente, house rent; ~ rof, house roof; ?a loft under the roof; ~ silver, house gavel; hous(es thirl, an aperture in a house wall, the window of a house; also fig.; ~ tile, house tile; -- coll. sg.; ~ wal (wough), house wall; ~ werminge, ?firebote; ~ windoue, house window.

In place names and surnames [see Smith PNElem. 1.270].