Dictionary

earthhouse en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɜːθˌhaʊs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɝθˌhaʊs/ (General-American)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (archaic) An underground chamber or habitation; a souterrain.
   • 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. 1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 71:
2. A dwelling that has been built to blend in with the surrounding landscape, being mostly underground with soil piled against its walls or with a grassy contoured roof; it may also be completely underground, or have a topping of intensive growth.

Forms