houseful
UK[ˈhaʊsfʊl]US[ˈhaʊsfʊl]
n
as many people or things as a house can hold; a full house.
Morpheme Breakdown
house
ful
house
building for dwelling
ful
full of, characterized by
Etymology
the word 'houseful' is a transparent compound formed within english from the native germanic elements 'house' and the suffix '-ful'. the old english root 'hūs' is of common germanic origin, related to dutch 'huis' and german 'haus', ultimately from a pie root likely meaning 'to cover' or 'to hide', reflecting the primary function of a house as a shelter. the suffix '-ful', from old english 'full' meaning 'full', is used to form adjectives and nouns indicating an abundance or the amount that fills a container. therefore, 'houseful' literally means 'the amount that fills a house', a logical and descriptive formation for denoting capacity.
Analysis
Structure: house (building for dwelling) + ful (full of, characterized by)
house (from old english 'hūs', meaning dwelling, shelter, building) + ful (from old english '-ful', a suffix meaning 'full of', derived from the adjective 'full')
Examples
we had a houseful of guests over the holidays.
the concert promoter was delighted to see a houseful for the opening night.
with all the children and their friends, it's a constant houseful here.