# house / home



## ThomasK

Part of this was treated in this thread, but only in passing. But could you tell me whether the word for 'home' is quite different from the word for 'house', and what the underlying meaning is (often a metaphor) ? Let's not focus on 'at home' or 'go home' (see other thread) . 

Dutch: 
*huis*  vs. *thuis* (lit. _at home) [we do have an old word *'heem'* but it is no longer used, except in derivations like 'uitheems' [from abroad] vs. 'inheems'] _

German:  
*Haus* vs. *Heim* 

(H..s seems to have no clear origin, might refer to hiding, but h.m seems to refer to settling down simply.)

French: 
*maison* vs. *foyer* (the hearth, I believer)/ *chez soi* (with oneself), but that is not a noun... 

Spanish 
*casa* vs. *hogar* (also _hearth_, I believe)


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## Rallino

In Turkish 

Both house and home equate to *Ev*.

Although I knew what _hearth meant_, I wondered what my dictionary would give in Turkish. It gave _*yuva.*_

_Yuva_ is actually an animal _nest_.

But it is indeed used metaphorically to talk about a home with a warm and happy family.

There are sayings:

Yuvaya geri dönmek _--> to turn back to one's nest (to his family)_
Yuvası yıkılmak --> _to have one's nest destroyed (some of the family members have died)_


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
We do not make any distinction between the two. In our everyday speech, house & home is «σπίτι» ('spiti, _n._). It derives from the Byzantine name for house/home, «ὁσπίτιον» (ho'spition, _n._), a Latin loanword (_hospitium_).
Formally, house/home is «οίκος» ('ikos, _n._), from the ancient masculine name «οἶκος» ('œkŏs)-->"house, home, household, dwelling-place". From PIE *weik- (house, dwelling); Arcadocypriot _Fοῖκος_, Sansr. _Veśa_, Lat. _Vicus, Vicinus_, Common Slav. _Vĭsĭ_, Goth. _Weihs_. 
An alternative for home could be the ancient «ἑστία» (hes'tia, _f._; es'tia, _f._ in modern Greek)-->lit. "home altar", metaph. "family, household". But it is not commonly used.


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## ThomasK

Great contributions, thanks: 
- _nest_ could be used metaphorically (in my dialect even _stal [stable],_ in an expression like _the horse smells its stable,_  referring to horses walking back to their stable faster than they left)
- the reference to _altar_ is quite interesting, and your borrowing from Latin seems to suggest that a home must be an open place...


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## itreius

Croatian

house - *kuća* (regional - _hiža_) etym. Old Slavic _*kǫtja_, another cognate of the same word in Croatian is _kut_ (angle/corner).

home - *dom* etym. Old Slavic domъ which means house. (IE *domh2os)


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## ThomasK

Just  by the way: 'winkel' in Dutch refers to a corner as well (old word though), but that word refers to a shop. _(I won't give any other names for houses here. That would be a separate thread.)_


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## apmoy70

itreius said:


> home - *dom* etym. Old Slavic domъ which means house. (IE *domh2os)


That's quite interesting. In Greek «δώμα» ('ðoma, _n._) is the _housetop, flat roof. _It derives from the ancient noun «δῶμα» ('dōmă, _n._) with the same meaning (ancient verb «δέμω», 'dĕmō-->_to build_). From «δώμα» ('ðoma, _n._) we have the neuter noun «δωμάτιο» (ðom'atio)-->_room _(ancient «δωμάτιον», dō'mắtion-->_chamber, bedchamber_)


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## ThomasK

But can't that be a variant of the Latin _dormitorium_? And: maybe the same word _doma_ is also the basis of the word 'dom' for certain types of churches...


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## Rallino

apmoy70 said:


> That's quite interesting. In Greek «δώμα» ('ðoma, _n._) is the _housetop, flat roof. _It derives from the ancient noun «δῶμα» ('dōmă, _n._) with the same meaning (ancient verb «δέμω», 'dĕmō-->_to build_). From «δώμα» ('ðoma, _n._) we have the neuter noun «δωμάτιο» (ðom'atio)-->_room _(ancient «δωμάτιον», dō'mắtion-->_chamber, bedchamber_)



Now that you mentioned, we have the word _*dam*_, which means flat roof floor...Now I wonder if it derived from the same root...


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## ThomasK

Rallino said:


> Now that you mentioned, we have the word _*dam*_, which means flat roof floor...Now I wonder if it derives from the same root...


 
Well, I had a look and it does, interestingy (etymonline.com)


> from Gk. _doma_ "house, housetop" (especially a style of roof from the east), related to *domos "house*" (). In the Middle Ages, Ger. _dom_ and It. _duomo_ were used for "cathedral" () so Eng. began to use this word in the sense "cupola,"


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## hollabooiers

In *Estonian* there's a very clear distinction, more or less like in English.

Home = _kodu_
House = _maja_ = something that can be used for any kind of buildings really.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> Well, I had a look and it does, interestingy (etymonline.com)
> from Gk. _doma_ "house, housetop" (especially a style of roof from  the east), related to *domos "house*" (). In the Middle  Ages, Ger. _dom_ and It. _duomo_ were used for "cathedral" ()  so Eng. began to use this word in the sense "cupola,"


You are right I forgot about δόμος ('domos). Wictionary gives :"From Proto-Indo-European _*dómh₂os_.  Cognates include Latin domus,  Sanskrit दम (dáma) and Armenian տուն (tun)". But all of the above languages share a common IE heritage. What about the Turkish word "dam"? A loanword perhaps?


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## enoo

Actually, in French "chez-soi" even exists as a noun too.
(And it has to be declined depending whose "home" we talk about. Chez-moi, chez-toi, ...  « Voilà notre chez-nous. » - "Here is our home." )


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian*: 

house = *ház *(*haza *or formal *hon*: as nouns mean home, homeland, fatherland)
home = *otthon *as noun (itthon cannot be a noun, only adverb; Home sweet home = otthon édes otthon)


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## Rallino

apmoy70 said:


> ...
> What about the Turkish word "dam"? A loanword perhaps?



I've checked the Turkish word _dam_. It's from a Proto-Turkic word:_ tam_ which means_ wall_. It's just a coincidence then.


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## ThomasK

@Rallino: what a strange coincidence indeed. _(I could mention another word in Dutch that refers to wall and resembles _tam_, but send me a pm if you are interested...) _

@Encolpius: would you be able to comment on the root meaning or word in _otthon?_


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## island84

home is different from house

house is referring to the building itself while home is a place where you can see love and harmony by each member of the family.


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## ThomasK

Well, I am not so sure that relationships are a necessary part of the definition (they often belong to that concept, I agree, but...). But it does not matter, I suppose. The point is mainly: how do we express that idea of 'home' in our languages?


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> ...Encolpius: would you be able to comment on the root meaning or word in _otthon?_



otthon = 1. adverb _at home_ 2. noun _home_
from ott [there] and hon(n) [adverb, at home in ancient Hungarian]
itthon = 1. adverb only _at home 
_I wonder if the hon(n) is related to the IE home, Heim. According to my dictionary it is not certain where the hon(n) comes from.


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## ThomasK

Very interesting, reminds me of our Dutch _huis/ thuis_ (_te huis_, where _te_ is a prep. though).


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> Very interesting, reminds me of our Dutch _huis/ thuis_ (_te huis_, where _te_ is a prep. though).



Yes, but the Dutch thuis reminds me more of the German Zuhause.


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## ThomasK

Well, in fact we have both _thuis_ (Heim) and _tehuis_ - and that is very often less pleasant indeed.


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## Tamar

In Hebrew we have one word - בית - _ba.it_. 
To say you're home you would say בבית _ba-bait, ba _is the preposition _be_ - "in" + determiner _ha_ - "the"


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## ThomasK

Thanks, but is there no need to express the idea that 'a house is not a home'? I mean: not any house is a home - and one can feel at home when not in a house. Can you convey that idea ?


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*: _talo ja koti_
*Swedish*: _hus och hem_

(house and home)


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## itreius

Encolpius said:


> Yes, but the Dutch thuis reminds me more of the German Zuhause.



Well, the Dutch _te_ and German _zu_ are pretty much the same. Look up High German consonant shift.


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## ThomasK

I could not agree more !


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## Tamar

> Thanks, but is there no need to express the idea that 'a house is not a home'? I mean: not any house is a home - and one can feel at home when not in a house.


Even when not inside a house, it would still be the same thing: בבית _ba-bait. S_o, if I say: "I feel at home in Amsterdam", for example, it would be: אני מרגישה *בבית* באמסטרדם _ani margisha *ba-bait* be-amsterdam_.


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: house=къща (kashta), home=дом (dom).


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## Maroseika

Russian: one word for both - дом (dom).


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## ThomasK

Thanks, Tamar, but I cannot conclude from your sentence how you or whether you distinguish in meaning between home and house (and the same holds true of Russian, Maroseika): do you - by some formal or grammatical feature - distinguish between the two meanings ? Can you in some way translate - or convey the idea in - 'A house is not a home', or is that not necessary/ not meaningful. _(I hope I make myself clear; any attempt at answering is appreciated...)_


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## Tamar

> 'A house is not a home'


This sentence is actually impossible in Hebrew.


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## Favara

*Catalan:
*House: _casa_
Home: _llar_ (hearth)


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## Agró

*Basque*:
House: etxe
Home: supazter (hearth/fireplace; *su*: fire)


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## ThomasK

I don't want to take a lot of time, Tamar, but then being 'at home' is then expressing by saying 'being at the house', I guess. Or ?


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> I don't want to take a lot of time, Tamar, but then being 'at home' is then expressing by saying 'being at the house', I guess. Or ?



я дома = I am home (дома = adverb)
я в доме = I am in the house (дом = noun)

But the root is the same.


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## ThomasK

But then: can one convey the idea of *a homely atmosphere*? An atmosphere 'like at the house'?  I suddenly remembered that we start from just the same basically: our _thuis_ is a former adverb like yours, but the difference is that it has become a noun (in two ways even). 

Funny thing: _cosy, *homely*_*,* does *not *become* *thuis-elijk*, but _*huiselijk*_ (warm, cosy).


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## Encolpius

In *Hungarian*

ház (house) - házias (someone who likes doing domestic chores, man or woman)
otthon (home) - otthonias (homely)


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## ThomasK

Thanks, E, but do you know about the translation in Slavic languages, like with я в доме ?


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, E, but do you know about the translation in Slavic languages, like with я в доме ?



I'd rather not. Let's wait for natives.


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## ger4

hollabooiers said:


> In *Estonian* there's a very clear distinction, more or less like in English.
> 
> Home = _kodu_
> House = _maja_ = something that can be used for any kind of buildings really.


In *Latvian*:

'home' = _dzimtene, __māja
_'house' = _māja, nams
_'building'_ = ēka 

__dzimtene _~ 'homeland, home region, 'spiritual' home', compare German _Heimat_, Russian _rodina__
_


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## Gavril

Slovene 
*hiša *"house" (not sure about the origin -- perhaps related to Croatian _kuća _as mentioned earlier, but how do we get from _k_ to _h_ and _č/c _to _š_?)
*dom *"home" (cognate with Latin _domus_, Greek _dómos_ etc.)

Welsh:
*tŷ *"house" (cognate with Old Irish _tech _"house", Latin _tego _"I cover", English _thatch_, etc.)
*cartref *"home" (possibly from _car _"kinsman, companion" + _tref_, which now means "town", but earlier probably meant "dwelling", like the Old Irish cognate _treb_)


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## Ífaradà

In Yoruba, *ilé *means both house and home.

In Norwegian we have hus - house, and hjem - home.


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