- the ancestor of Scots hoose is Old English hūs, and like hame and toun this is yet another example of a Scots word that retains much of its original Old English character. In England, Old English hūs was affected by sound changes which gave rise to the modern form house, but the pronunciation of Scots hoose has remained very close to that of the Old English term. Northerly place-names that incorporate Scots hoose may instead show derivation from Old Norse hús, cousin to the Old English word. For instance, Shetland Scots hoosamil, husamil, meaning a road or space between houses, is of Old Norse origin and can be compared to the Norwegian dialect word husamillom meaning 'from one house to another'.
This is related to the phrase to geng hoose-a-mila 'to go from house to house (gathering news or gossip)'.