house [OE] The word house is related to Dutch huis and German Haus, and their ancient ancestor may have been a root meaning ‘to hide’ found also in huddle [M16th]. The House of Lords [M16th] and Houses of Parliament [L16th] preceded the House of Commons [E17th]. The house music heard in clubs from the 1980s onwards was probably named after the Warehouse, a club in Chicago where the music was first popular. See also hussy.