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/hoʊm/·noun·before 900 CE·Established
Origin
From PIE *tḱey- (to settle) — originally not just a building but where one belongs, a sense of rooted belonging carried for 6,000 years.
Definition
The place where onelives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household; also, a feeling of belonging or comfort.
The Full Story
Proto-Germanicbefore 900 CEwell-attested
From Old English 'hām' (dwelling, house, estate, village, homeland), from Proto-Germanic *haimaz, from PIE *tḱoy-mos, a derivative of *tḱey- (to settle, to dwell, to lie down in a place). The PIE root expressed the act of settling — making a place one's own through habitual dwelling. Greek 'kōmē' (village, country settlement) reflects the same root, as does Sanskrit
Did you know?
The word 'hamlet' (a small village) is a double diminutive of 'home' — from Old French 'hamelet,' a diminutive of 'hamel,' itself a diminutive of 'ham' (village), which was borrowed from Germanic *haimaz. So 'hamlet' literally means 'little little home.'