long house

American  

Or longhouse

noun

1. a communal dwelling, especially of the Iroquois and various other North American Indian peoples, consisting of a wooden, bark-covered framework often as much as 100 feet (30.5 meters) in length.

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long house British  

noun

1. a long communal dwelling of the Iroquois and other North American Indian peoples. It often served as a council house as well

2. a long dwelling found in other parts of the world, such as Borneo

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Etymology

Origin of long house

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

For the next 20 years, the council debated in the long house — a long, low structure made of whole logs used for ceremonial events and Haudenosaunee gatherings.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2024

In 1994, Wolfe bought two meadows and a low-ceilinged long house in Suffolk called Wakelyns, which had a been a pig farm, then a dog-breeding site.

From The Guardian • Oct. 10, 2019

During the evenings of the language camp, he pulled out his guujaaw — drum — and filled the long house with his low, mournful voice.

From New York Times • Jun. 11, 2017

More than 40 excavations were carried out along a 46km stretch, and key discoveries included a Neolithic long house in Kent, a Romano-British villa and two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2013

He said our house because a couple of my uncles had built their houses against his until the original house spread into a long house with many of my cousins living in it.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya