pithouse

English

This reconstruction of a pithouse at the Step House ruins in Mesa Verde National Park, United States, shows the pit dug below grade, four supporting posts, a roof structure as layers of wood and mud, and the entry through the roof.

Alternative forms

pit-house

Etymology

From pit +‎ house.

Noun

pithouse (plural pithouses)

(archaeology) A primitive building partially dug into the ground and roofed over.

Synonyms

Translations

primitive building

Catalan: casa en rasa f, casa excavada f
Czech: polozemnice (cs) n
Dutch: kuilhuis n
Finnish: kuoppatalo
German: Grubenhaus n
Korean: 수혈주거 (suhyeoljugeo)
Polish: ziemianka (pl) f
Spanish: casa en zanja f, casa excavada f
Swedish: grophus n