housekeepingn.
/ˈhaʊsˌkiːpɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈhaʊsˌkipɪŋ/ 1.
a. The maintenance of a household; the action of owning a house or property (now rare). Now chiefly North American: the action of setting up house or living in self-contained accommodation as one's home, typically as a married couple; frequently in to go to housekeeping, to set up housekeeping.
ΚΠ
1529 S. Fish tr. H. Bomelius Summe Holye Script. xxxi. sig. Q.v Therfore it were moche better that she [sc. a widow] were maryed ageyn for the carefulnesse and rule of house keping [Du. regiment van den huyse].
1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 274 Democritus..being wearie of house keeping,..and burthened with businesse, got him into a desart place,..as an Heremite or wildernesse wanderer.
1652 S. Hartlib Cornu Copia 13 They may have their choice either by parcels as they have need, or the ful furniture of an house from executors, or from such as have occasion to give up housekeeping.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 83 Marriage is honourable, but House-keeping is a Shrew.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. iii. 88 At her death, my father gave up house-keeping.
1836 G. F. Turner Let. 7 Jan. in R. Stuart et al. Stuart Lett. (1961) I. 22 We cannot go to housekeeping here (without going to the expense of buying anew..).
1851 C. Brontë Let. ?24 May (2000) II. 622 Papa seriously told me yesterday that if I married and left him—he should give up housekeeping and go into lodgings!!!
1882 Cent. Mag. June 260/1 Yes, I long to go to housekeeping. We can afford it now.
1940 D. H. Keller Devil & Doctor x. 139 The sooner they were home and started housekeeping the better it would be for everybody concerned.
1965 Look 24 Aug. 59/1 Kyoko and Mitsunori Chigita set up housekeeping in a five-room apartment.
2003 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 192/3 He set up housekeeping on the 12th floor, sharing a room with his typewriter and golf clubs.
b. The action or activity of running a household with regard to performing or directing the everyday domestic tasks involved, such as cleaning, cooking, etc.; management of resources to provide for a household; cf. house n.1 and int. Phrases 4b(a), Phrases 4b(d).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [noun] > management or administration > domestic management
housewifeship?c1225
cove and keyc1250
husbandryc1300
economica1393
ménagea1393
householda1398
householdinga1425
housewifery1440
economyc1454
economics1535
house rule1579
householdry1581
managery1586
housekeeping1652
household management1741
notability1756
homebuilding1757
domestic economy1778
Wirtschaft1841
homekeeping1846
housecraft1848
homemaking1863
home economics1872
home science1886
household science1896
domestic science1897
1652 G. Fidge Great Eater Grayes-Inne 28 Marriot rose from the Table, and said, is this your Noble house-keeping to poison a poor Gentleman.
1683 R. Dixon Canidia xv. 76 If he, or she, have been Rangers, And married themselves to Strangers; Then comes Bills for House-keeping. For washing, scowring, rubbing, sweeping.
1798 J. Austen Let. 17 Nov. (1995) 20 I am very fond of experimental housekeeping, such as having an ox-cheek now and then.
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. 21 The same air of departed gentility and sluttish housekeeping.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. xxii. 217 They had learned housekeeping, with its..comforts... They had a dish of tea for us, and a lump of walrus; and they bestirred themselves real housewife-fashion.
1876 Mothers' Treasury 13 76 It would be well if young ladies, instead of giving so much thought to their dress would learn more about housekeeping.
1949 Vogue Oct. 102/2 A new and interesting development in housekeeping—the advent of the self-service launderette.
1988 H. Porter Jan., Feb., June or July ix. 105 Nan, who had been so proud of her housekeeping, sat back..and watched Herb doing what she had done for many years.
2001 P. Caldwell Sleep Really Well (2003) i. 36 The problems are even worse for women with children, demands of childbearing and housekeeping have no regard for the artificial shifts of industry.
c. In extended use. The action of managing something or keeping something in good order to enable optimum efficiency or performance (often with regard to financial matters).
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1940 C. Brooks Jrnl. 15 Nov. (1998) 279 Nobody who has not edited a paper can ever realise how much of editorship is pure ‘housekeeping’.
1966 Listener 29 Sept. 448/1 I do not wish to consider..this..in terms of national housekeeping.
1971 Nature 27 Aug. 662/3 Mechanized methods of library housekeeping are also considered.
1982 Toward Safer Underground Coal Mines (Nat. Res. Council) 177 Many of these accidents might be prevented by better lighting in the mine and by good housekeeping.
1990 Daughters of Sarah May–June 5/2 Ecofeminists have much to teach men about planet housekeeping.
2001 Times 30 Nov. ii. 20/2 It is partly housekeeping that was not done during the past few years of growth, and partly pre-emptive cost-cutting to avoid the same situation that we had in the last recession.
d. The routine operations of a computer which make its work possible or more efficient, but do not directly constitute its performance.
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the world > action or operation > [noun] > a form or kind of operation > which do not constitute performance
housekeeping1956
1956 Jrnl. Assoc. Computing Machinery 3 269 Most of the errors..turned up in the logical or housekeeping operations, building loops, tallying, etc.
1962 IBM Systems Jrnl. 1 72 The necessary routines such as housekeeping, timekeeping, utility routines, association of equipment, etc.
1983 J. V. Lombardi Computer Literacy 100 Most housekeeping is done by the operating system.
2006 Computer Weekly 2 May 32/4 Defragmentation, or defragging, is a housekeeping process that tidies up the disc and moves the data blocks of a file closer together.
e. Cell Biology. The fundamental cellular processes, such as protein synthesis, replication, etc., which are necessary to the functioning of all cells, regardless of type.
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1964 W. B. Bean in W. Modell Drugs of Choice 1964–5 vii. 128/2 Water soluble vitamins..are active in enzyme systems which govern energy transfers in the busy metabolic housekeeping.
1977 Amer. Zoologist 17 583/1 I wished to avoid investigating mutations of ‘housekeeping’ genes, even though such mutations might disturb cell differentiation.
1994 Science 18 Nov. 1234/3 The clock mutations described here are not in genes essential for growth or cellular housekeeping.
2010 Environmental & Exper. Bot. 69 137/2 Abiotic stress is known to induce changes in plant gene expression, shifting the cellular functions from housekeeping to defence metabolism.
2. † b. concrete. Provisions for a household. Obsolete. rare.
a. Usually with modifying word. The action or condition of providing for or entertaining visitors or guests, esp. with regard to food and drink; hospitality. Cf. house n.1 and int. Phrases 4b(c). Now historical.
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society > leisure > social event > hospitality > [noun] > liberal
open householdc1450
housekeeping1538
open table1602
open house1824
1538 H. Latimer Let. 13 Dec. in Serm. & Remains (1845) (modernized text) II. 411 To maintain..good housekeeping; for to the virtue of hospitality he hath been greatly inclined from his beginning.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxvijv He obteined greate loue..by his abundant liberalitie, and plentifull house kepynge.
1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 i. i. 189 Thy simple plainnesse and thy house-keeping, Hath wonne thee credit amongst the common sort.
1640 T. Fuller Joseph's Coat 2 Withall let us take heed lest as it hath been observed in England, that great House-building hath beene the bane of good Hous-keeping.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 32 It is never heard in Turkie, that a man hath undone himself by Housekeeping.
1741 Scots Mag. June 272/1 Never was a creature so proud; but in her housekeeping she was an intolerable niggard.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. viii. 295 A banquet worthy of the fame which his splendid house~keeping has won for him.
1898 G. Saintsbury Short Hist. Eng. Lit. ii. iv. 98 The favourite mediæval motive of the knight who spends his all, not in riotous living, but in generous housekeeping.
1908 S. Webb & B. Webb Eng. Local Govt. III. ii. viii. 467 What forces itself on our attention, from the Restoration right down to 1835, is..recklessly lavish housekeeping... It is impossible even to estimate the aggregate amount of money that the Common Council frittered away in ever-recurring extravagant dinners.
1986 M. E. James Society, Politics & Culture (1988) vii. 278 The way of life of the great household, and the hospitality which was its bond, was extolled; for it was by his generous housekeeping that Lord Dacre had won praise and a following.
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the world > food and drink > food > supply of food or provisions > [noun] > in household
housekeeping1803
1803 E. S. Bowne Let. 8 July (1888) 164 One poor bed quilt is all I have towards housekeeping.
1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. iii. 95 ‘Tell me softly and hastily, what is in the pantry?’ ‘Small house-keeping enough,’ said Phoebe.
3. A sum of money regularly given, traditionally by the male head of a household, or set aside to finance the running of a household; cf. housekeeping allowance n., housekeeping money n. at Compounds 2.
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society > trade and finance > money > funds or pecuniary resources > [noun] > set apart for a purpose > for housekeeping
housekeeping1839
housekeeping allowance1845
housekeeping money1845
1839 W. M. Thackeray in Burton's Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 141 The price of a pair [sc. of boots] was too large a sum for my mother to take from the housekeeping.
1887 R. N. Carey Uncle Max III. xliii. 221 She would quiet them a bit with a five- or ten-pound note filched from the housekeeping.
1946 G. Kersh Clean, Bright & slightly Oiled ii. 16 He never give her no housekeeping.
1970 J. Porter Rather Common Sort of Crime ii. 25 You'll go throwing your money around but if I ask you for a bit more housekeeping, that's a different story.
2004 P. Southern Craze viii. 57 The other losers off the taxi ranks..were..forever gambling the wives' housekeeping away.
4. Without article. The department of a hotel, hospital, etc., which deals with cleaning and maintenance; the staff of such a department considered collectively.
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1968 Wisconsin State Jrnl. 21 July iv. 4/2 Simply call housekeeping for a hair dryer.
1976 B. Feinstein & C. Cavanaugh New Volunteerism viii. 125 Nurses performed nursing functions.., and housekeeping performed janitorial duties, such as cleaning.
1988 V. Gold & L. Cheney Body Politic 134 A tea stain on the rug and they're a bitch to remove. Call housekeeping.
1993 Newsweek 25 Jan. A18/2 (advt.) You'll never have to wait until dinnertime for your room to be cleaned or have to nag housekeeping for a set of dry towels.
2007 Esquire Oct. 40/2 I always tip the bellboy a pound or two per bag on the way in and out. Give housekeeping about £5 a night.
Compounds
C1.
a. attributive, with the sense ‘of or relating to the maintenance or running of a household’, as housekeeping expenses, housekeeping duties, housekeeping chores, etc.
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1751 E. Haywood Hist. Betsy Thoughtless IV. 26 Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, with all the Appendages belonging to them, have no Business to be enrolled in the List of House-keeping Expences.
1805 Port Folio 6 July 206/3 This youthful female..means only a modest statement of her capacity to discharge all housekeeping duties.
1859 Harper's New Monthly Mag. July 174/1 They disposed of themselves around ‘their kitchen fire,’ and after their fashion ‘did up the housekeeping chores,’ and finished their repast.
1888 Good Housek. 3 Mar. 215/2 They appeal to the housekeepers of the future;..to the young women starting forward in the journey, whose housekeeping habits are not fixed and unchangeable.
1957 Rotarian Apr. 18/2 She receives an allowance for housekeeping expenses, from which she buys food and clothing.
1998 B. Kingsolver Poisonwood Bible (1999) ii. 107 I try to avoid the drudgery of housekeeping chores, which is more up Rachel's alley if she can stoop to being helpful on a given day.
2004 Evening Standard (Palmerston North, N.Z.) (Nexis) 15 May 3 Some of the students will be placed in homestays, while others will go flatting, supported by people to help with mowing the lawns and with housekeeping duties.
b. North American. attributive. Of, relating to, or designating holiday or rented accommodation that provides cooking and washing facilities; self-catering, as housekeeping cottage, housekeeping rooms, housekeeping suite, etc.; also designating such facilities.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > a house > types of house > [noun] > summer house or holiday house
summer houseOE
pleasure house1590
mahal1610
aestivation1625
summer cottage1638
cottage1805
Swiss cottage1820
summer home1821
casita1822
chalet1853
bathing-box1883
rest home1889
dacha1896
housekeeping cottage1901
weekend cottage1911
weekender1921
bach1940
hafod1952
gite1964
getaway1968
vacation home1969
timeshare1974
share1984
1878 Daily Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 25 July (advt.) Elegant furnished fron[t], suite and housekeeping rooms.
1884 Boston Daily Advertiser 9 Sept. 5 (advt.) Housekeeping suite to let. A small suite of many rooms on first floor.
1901 Lake Placid Club Handbk. 65 2 small cottages for housekeeping on east edge of golf links half mile from Clubhouse... Also several other housekeeping cottages.
1968 W. Muir Belonging xx. 285 We had booked ‘a house-keeping suite’ without knowing what that was and found a sitting-room and bedroom..with a small kitchenette and a shower.
1973 Whig-Standard (Kingston, Ont.) 8 Mar. 37/9 (advt.) Near Kingston General Hospital, Queen's on Union Street. All housekeeping facilities.
1987 Outdoor Canada June–July Insert pp. 32–33 (advt.) American plan and housekeeping cabins.
1995 Northern Ont.: Vac. Guide 1995 6/1 Boat, swim, canoe, & fish. Summer vacation in our beautiful housekeeping cottages with all the comforts of home.
C2.
housekeeping allowance n. a sum of money given or granted on a regular basis to finance the running of a household; cf. housekeeping money n.
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society > trade and finance > money > funds or pecuniary resources > [noun] > set apart for a purpose > for housekeeping
housekeeping1839
housekeeping allowance1845
housekeeping money1845
1845 Times 26 Mar. 3/3 No perceptible difference can I find, except in his reducing my housekeeping allowance.
1914 A. Bennett Price of Love xvi. 309 She had received no housekeeping allowance for more than a week.
2009 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 7 June 8 By the time he stepped down as a European Commissioner in 2004, he was earning pounds £163,453 on top of a pounds £24,000-a-year housekeeping allowance.
housekeeping book n. (a) an account book in which household expenses are recorded (now chiefly historical); (b) a book giving advice on cooking and general household management.
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1789 in Oracle 17 Oct. 1/4 She has..given instructions for Brewing in all its branches; besides a Marketing Table, another for Buying and Selling, and a Specimen of a Housekeeping Book.
1825 W. Cobbett Woodlands (front matter) (advt.) As a housekeeping book adapted for the daily use of families, especially those that are neither of the richest nor the poorest class, it is..excellent.
1849 C. Dickens David Copperfield (1850) i. 7 I kept my housekeeping-book regularly, and balanced it with Mr. Copperfield every night.
1930 A. Bennett Imperial Palace xxx. 200 The figures of the housekeeping-books had..startled her.
1987 A. Guisewite Motherly Advice from Cathy's Mom i. 4 In her housekeeping book, Totally Organized..McCullogh recommends the reverse order [of cleaning]: front hall and living room first because they're most vulnerable to scrutiny by unexpected guests.
2005 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 28 Apr. Whether she was with the cook, balancing the housekeeping books, or bartering in the market late on a Saturday night for the cheapest cuts of stew-meat, the missus did the money.
housekeeping goods n. various items used for domestic purposes, household goods; spec. (in earlier use) fabrics for sheets, curtains, or the like.
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1846 Cumberland (Maryland) Alleganian 26 June (advt.) Housekeeping goods. Bleached sheetings,..bleached and brown Muslins, Irish Linens in great variety.
1900 Daily News 17 Sept. 2/7 Housekeeping goods and damasks.
1998 L. Hanners Girl on Pony ii. 55 After they were married, Mother and Dad loaded a wagon with building materials and housekeeping goods and creaked out to the claim.
housekeeping keys n. now chiefly historical house keys, esp. those for various rooms or cupboards used for domestic purposes, traditionally in the charge of the female head of a household employing servants.
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1842 H. Campbell Self-devotion I. 41 A little table with drawing materials..[and] a large bunch of housekeeping keys, that shared the resting place of the crayons and pencils.
1903 R. Owen Red-headed Gill xiii. 152 I was simply going to ask you for the housekeeping keys, Aunt Eliza.
1995 E. Langland Nobody's Angels ii. 53 David Copperfield's mother signals her weakness by relinquishing her housekeeping keys to Miss Murdstone.
housekeeping money n. a sum of money regularly given or set aside for housekeeping expenses; = sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > funds or pecuniary resources > [noun] > set apart for a purpose > for housekeeping
housekeeping1839
housekeeping allowance1845
housekeeping money1845
1845 North Amer. & Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia) 21 May Do you suppose I'm to find sugar for punch for all the world out of my housekeeping money?
1885 C. M. Yonge Two Sides of Shield I. i. 12 She gave him money—not father's housekeeping money, but what she got for herself by writing.
1966 L. Southworth Felon in Disguise vi. 86 Her husband had provided her with sufficient housekeeping money for her immediate needs.
2008 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 30 Aug. 6 [A packed lunch] can also be a way of making the housekeeping money stretch that little bit further.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
housekeepingadj.
/ˈhaʊsˌkiːpɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈhaʊsˌkipɪŋ/ Acting as or behaving like a housekeeper (in various senses); esp. performing or managing the domestic tasks involved in running a household.
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society > authority > control > [adjective] > relating to management or administration > relating to household management > managing household
housekeeping1552
home-keeping1826
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum House kepynge, larem fovens.
1565 W. Allen Def. & Declar. Doctr. Purgatory ii. xiv. f. 264 Two notable howsekeping dogges, that were neuer doume in the Churchies neede.
1638 T. Nabbes Covent Garden v. vi. 71 I will therefore have you stitcht into a case of complements, and commended to some thrifty house-keeping Ladie in the Countrey.
1797 T. Connelly & T. Higgins Diccionario Nuevo y Completo de las Lenguas Española é Inglesa I. 632/1 Housekeeping,... She is a housekeeping woman.
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. V. ix. iii. ii. 16 A parcel of..housekeeping tradesmen.
1885 Phrenolog. Jrnl. 80 48/1 Hosts of tired, tormented, housekeeping mothers!
1892 Daily News 26 Feb. 5/7 [The price] that housekeeping consumers pay for their coal.
1915 J. Buchan Salute to Adventurers x. 142 The whims of a busybody or the gains of a house-keeping trader.
2003 Australian (Nexis) 2 Apr. t15 The traditional partnership of working husband and housekeeping wife is no longer the norm—two incomes have become necessary for a family to stay afloat.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1529
adj.1552