etxe

Etxe is a Basque noun meaning house or dwelling. In Euskara, it refers to a building used as a residence and, more broadly, to home.

The word is native to Basque (Euskara) and is widely used in everyday speech, literature, and place names. It is not borrowed from Romance languages, reflecting the distinct evolution of the Basque lexicon.

In Basque, the definite article is attached to the noun to form etxea, meaning “the house.” The plural form etxeak corresponds to “the houses” or simply “houses” depending on context. Etxe appears in many Basque surnames and place names that refer to a dwelling or a dwelling place, illustrating how houses have shaped identity and landscape in Basque regions.

Culturally, the etxe is often regarded as more than a physical building: it is the home and focal point of family life for many Basque people. The word and its derivatives appear in everyday expressions, in historical references to property and home locality, and in the naming of places, reflecting the central role of the house in Basque social and cultural life.