Earthhouse

//ˈɜːθˌhaʊs// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An underground chamber or habitation; a souterrain. archaic

    "There were many other heirlooms heaped inside the earth-house, because long ago, with deliberate care, some forgotten person had deposited the whole rich inheritance of a high-born race in this ancient cache."

  2. 2
    A dwelling that has been built to blend in with the surrounding landscape, being mostly underground with a grassy contoured roof; it may also be completely underground, or have a topping of intensive growth.

Example

More examples

"There were many other heirlooms heaped inside the earth-house, because long ago, with deliberate care, some forgotten person had deposited the whole rich inheritance of a high-born race in this ancient cache."

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English erthe hous, from Old English eorþhūs, from Proto-West Germanic *erþahūs, from Proto-Germanic *erþahūsą, equivalent to earth + house.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.