#9: Veitingahús

I posted the link to this blog on Facebook a few days ago, just in case anyone in my online social circle was interested in Icelandic. I didn't expect anyone to actually click the link, but apparently at least one person did and his impression was, "cool... but why don't you post words people will actually use?" Perhaps he has a point. Words like máltaka, þrákálfur, and þórðargleði probably aren't used all that often, and I'm probably one of only a few people who talks about sporðdrekar on a regular basis.

However, there's a reason why I tend to gravitate towards these words. There's just not a whole lot to say about the basics-- I'd be hard-pressed to come up with an interesting tidbit about common words like að sjá (to see), vinur (friend), or alltaf (always). And, those words are encountered so frequently that I don't really need much help to remember them. Larger compound words, on the other hand, are harder to memorize and often have interesting etymologies that are worth discussing. And even if they aren't the stuff of everyday conversation, the root words that make them up often are; the mál in máltaka and the gleði in þórðargleði are actually quite common and handy, for instance. Still, your point is well taken, friend, so today I have a word that anyone in Iceland-- tourists and natives alike-- probably use quite often: veitingahús (restaurant).

It, like many others I've chosen to highlight, is a compound word. The first part comes from the feminine noun veitingar, which simply means "food and drink." It's actually a nice compact form for something that English (and a lot of other languages) need several words to express. The second part is the neuter noun hús (house), which pops up very frequently in compounds. In addition to "food and drink houses," there are sports houses (íþróttahús, gymnasia), moving picture houses (kvikmyndhús, movie theaters), and sick houses (sjúkrahús, hospitals). And, of course, there's the piparkökuhús (gingerbread house). Hopefully, with all of these houses to choose from, you'll find a word or two that you can actually use from time to time!

WORD SUMMARY:

veitingahús, -s, -- (n): restaurant

Posted in: Compound Words, Food, Nouns, Places