húsi

Húsi is an inflected Icelandic form of the noun meaning “house.” In modern Icelandic, the base form for the building itself is hús, while húsi is encountered as a specific grammatical form used in certain cases. The word húsi is most commonly understood as the dative singular form of hús, with húsið serving as the definite nominative/accusative singular form.

Etymology and cognates remain consistent with other Germanic languages. The Icelandic hús derives from Old Norse hús, which in turn goes back to Proto-Germanic *hūs-. Related words in other Nordic languages include Swedish hus, Danish hus, and in other Germanic tongues, Dutch huis and German Haus.

Morphology and usage. In contemporary Icelandic, hús is the dictionary form, used for “a house” in neutral, indefinite reference. Húsi, as a dative singular, appears in contexts governed by prepositions or verbs that require the dative case, and is not the standard standalone form for “a house” in ordinary statements. The definite singular is húsið, and the genitive is húss; the plural forms are hús (nominative/accusative) and húsin (definite plural).

Context. The word húsi may appear in formal, historical, or poetic texts where older inflectional patterns are preserved. In everyday modern Icelandic, speakers more often use hús for “a house,” reserving húsi for grammatical cases or stylistic purposes.

See also. Icelandic language, Hús (Icelandic noun), Old Norse, Germanic etymology, Nordic cognates.

Note. This article focuses on linguistic usage and does not cover architectural or cultural meanings beyond the language context.