English Explanatory Dictionary

housel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The Eucharist.
verb
  1. To administer the Eucharist to.
  2. To prepare for a journey.
name
  1. A surname from German.

Pronunciation

/ˈhaʊzəl/

Word forms

housel housels houseling houselling houseled houselled Houseal

Etymology

From Middle English housel, from Old English hūsl (“housel, Eucharist, the Host, a sacrifice”), from Proto-Germanic *hunslą (“sacrifice”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwen- (“holy”). Cognate with Icelandic húsl (“housel”), Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌻 (hunsl, “sacrifice, offering”), Proto-Slavic *svętъ (“holy, sacred”) (OED). The OED cites usage of the noun from the 10th to the 17th century. 19th century use is deliberately archaizing. The verb is attested from the 11th century, and in occasional usage persists into the 19th.

Derived words

unhouseled
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