housing
Pluralhousings (some meanings)
Pluralhousings (some meanings)
- 1Buildings where people live, considered together as a single body.
The government pledged to build more housing in rural districts.
Decades of neglect left much of the region's housing in poor condition.
UsageSay more housing or affordable housing; to count, use homes: a thousand new homes. A housing is a machine case.
Similarhomes, accommodation, dwellings
- 2The act of providing somewhere for people to live, or of enclosing something within a cover.
The council is responsible for the housing of its growing population.
Safe housing of the spare batteries prevents accidental fires.
UsageUsually the housing of someone or something: the housing of refugees.
Similaraccommodation, lodging
Note
Here the word is still close to its verb: Middle English housynge came from housen, "to house, shelter; receive into one's house." When the result is meant rather than the act, the word shifts to the collective "homes" meaning.
- 3Present participle and gerund of house.
The university is housing first-year students in newly renovated dormitories.
Housing the entire collection safely required a climate-controlled vault.
UsageThe verb form takes its object directly: housing the servers; the noun needs of: the housing of the servers.
- 4A protective case or covering that encloses a mechanical component.
The engineers sealed the bearing inside an aluminum housing.
Vibration had loosened the gearbox housing over the years.
UsageOften named after the part it protects: a gearbox housing, a motor housing.
Less common meanings
- 5A recess cut out of one solid piece to receive part of another, such as the end of one timber set into the side of another.
- 6An ornamental or military cloth covering a horse's saddle; a saddlecloth, and in the plural a horse's trappings.
- 7A recessed space set into a wall to hold or display a statue.
- 8The part of a mast or bowsprit that lies beneath the deck or within the hull of a vessel.
- 9An attachment fixed to the harness or to the collar of a horse's harness.
- 10A small three-stranded tarred line used aboard ship for seizings and similar binding work; a houseline.
Showing meanings only.
housing is a form of house
house, verb: To keep or store something within a structure or container. Full entry
- Spelling
- house → housing: drop the e, add -ing
Practice
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Origins
From Middle English "housynge," from "housen" ("to house, shelter, or receive into one's home"), equivalent to "house" plus "-ing." It is related to Scots "housing" and Old Frisian "hūsinge," and can be compared with Dutch "huizing," German "Behausung," and Swedish "inhysing."
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 8 facts
- Housing derives from Middle English housynge, from housen. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English housen meant to house, shelter, or receive someone into one's home. en.wiktionary.org
- Housing is equivalent to house plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org
- Housing is related to Scots housing. en.wiktionary.org
- Housing is related to Old Frisian hūsinge. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch huizing is an etymological comparison. en.wiktionary.org
- German Behausung is an etymological comparison. en.wiktionary.org
- Swedish inhysing is an etymological comparison. en.wiktionary.org
Formed from "house" plus the suffix "-ing."
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Housing is formed from house plus the suffix -ing. en.wiktionary.org