Housework

How to spell housework

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce housework

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does housework mean?

1. nounThe regular cleaning, tidying, and maintenance tasks done to keep a home in order.

Housework in a sentence

• They split the housework evenly between the two of them.

• After a long shift she had no energy left for any housework.

Where does housework come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound, joining two of the oldest words in the language. 'House' descends from the Old English 'hus', a dwelling or shelter, which traces back to a common Germanic ancestor shared with the Dutch 'huis' and the German 'Haus'. 'Work' comes from the Old English 'weorc', meaning labour, effort, or a deed, and it too has Germanic roots tied to the same family that gives us the Greek 'ergon', meaning a task or deed. The compound 'housework', meaning the regular labour of cleaning and maintaining a home, is a relatively modern formation that became common in the nineteenth century as domestic life was discussed in print. Because both parts are plain everyday words spelled exactly as they sound when joined, the only real spelling decision is remembering to write it as one solid word rather than two.

How the word is built

• house (dwelling)
• work (labour); a closed compound noun