Word archive · H husband A male partner in a marriage.
Played on 30 September 2026 · Day 25 · word 4 of 5
A household before a marriage label
How husband reached English oldest first hūs ‘house’ bōndi ‘householder’ combined
combined
Old Norse
hūsbōndi
‘Householder’
into Old English
Old English
hūsbonda
‘Master of a house’
became Middle English
Middle English
husbonde
‘Husband’
became English
English
husband
‘A male spouse; also a manager’
The story of husband The older compound concerned running a household.
Old Norse hūsbōndi combined house with householder . English borrowed it as hūsbonda , a master of a house . Middle English husbonde leads to the modern word, whose familiar use concerns marriage.
Source Merriam-Webster: husband Word History gives the route and component glosses; the verb definitions retain management senses.