- home
- {{11}}home (n.) O.E. ham "dwelling, house, estate, village," from P.Gmc. *haimaz (Cf. O.Fris. hem "home, village," O.N. heimr "residence, world," heima "home," Dan. hjem, M.Du. heem, Ger. heim "home," Goth. haims "village"), from PIE root *tkei- "to lie, settle down" (Cf. Skt. kseti "abides, dwells," Armenian shen "inhabited," Gk. kome, Lith. kaimas "village;" O.C.S. semija "domestic servants").'Home' in the full range and feeling of [Modern English] home is a conception that belongs distinctively to the word home and some of its Gmc. cognates and is not covered by any single word in most of the IE languages. [Buck]Home stretch (1841) is originally a reference from horse racing. Home base in baseball attested by 1859 (home plate by 1867; home as the goal in a sport or game is from 1778). Home economics first attested 1899. Slang phrase make (oneself) at home "become comfortable in a place one does not live" dates from 1892. To keep the home fires burning is from a song title from 1914. To be nothing to write home about "unremarkable" is from 1907. Home movie is from 1919; home computer is from 1967.{{12}}home (v.) 1765, "to go home," from HOME (Cf. home) (n.). Meaning "be guided to a destination by radio signals, etc. (of missiles, aircraft, etc.) is from 1920; it had been used earlier in reference to pigeons (1862). Related: Homed; HOMING (Cf. homing). O.E. had hamian "to establish in a home."
Etymology dictionary. 2014.