Houseleeks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plants of the genus Sempervivum, characterized by thick fleshy leaves arranged in tight rosettes and small star-shaped flowers
2. Succulent perennials with densely packed rosette foliage that are hardy and drought-tolerant, belonging to the stonecrop family
3. Hardy ornamental succulents featuring clusters of thick, fleshy leaves in circular formations, commonly grown on roofs and in rock gardens

Etymology: "Houseleeks" is simply the plural of "houseleek," the succulent plant often grown on roofs and walls. The singular is the word that carries the history: it came into Middle English as "houslek," which probably developed from an Old English form reconstructed as "hūslēac," and the Dutch "huislook," German "Hauslauch," Danish "husløg" and Swedish "huslök" show the same pattern across the Germanic languages. The name is a compound of "house" and "leek," and on the surface it looks like a plant that grows on houses. The Old English "lēac" was a general word for a plant of the onion family, so the element "leek" is the older, more basic part, while "house" points to the plant's habit of growing on dwellings, roofs and walls. The "-leek" element has nothing to do with the modern vegetable called leek being on the roof; it is the same root that gives the common leek its name.