Houseshoe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A soft, light shoe worn inside the home for comfort instead of outdoor footwear
2. Footwear designed to be slipped on indoors to keep the feet warm and comfortable at home
3. An informal slipper-like shoe that people put on around the house rather than going outside

Etymology: A houseshoe is simply a slipper: a soft shoe worn indoors, built from the two plain parts "house" and "shoe." The compound follows the same pattern as German "Hausschuh," which joins "Haus" (house) and "Schuh" (shoe) in exactly the same way, so the two languages arrived at the same everyday picture independently of each other, or at least in parallel. The idea is a shoe kept for the home, distinct from the boots worn outside. The word is a transparent compound rather than an inherited or borrowed term, so its meaning is almost entirely carried by its parts. A houseshoe is worn in the house, and the name says exactly that.