It seems that OG did have a compound of hus and ding, but in the other order:
Mallum dinc. Curia vel consistorium dinchus vel sprachus quod ibi cura per senatum de cunctis administretur.
(Summarium Heinrici Bd 1 ed. R. Hildebrandt p.257)
Also Lexer (Mittelhochdeutsches Taschenwörterbuch) lists a hûsdinc ‘ding das zur haushaltung gehört‘, but no date or source is given.
Keith
From: The English Place-Name List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: 30 January 2014 08:40
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Subject: AW: [EPNL] Houdain (Normandy)
A further problem is that Houdain occurs outside Normandy in the Pas-de-Calais near Bethune, an area not subject to Scandinavian settlement.
I.
-----Original-Nachricht-----
Betreff: Re: [EPNL] Houdain (Normandy)
Datum: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 11:00:10 +0100
Von: Keith Briggs <[log in to unmask]>
Is it not a common type of semantic change that when social institutions evolve, old words are kept but with new meanings? (One only has to look at the wide range of senses for “husting(s)” in OED; none is associated with ‘house’, which should answer one of Jeremy’s points).
F. de Beaurepaire, Les noms des communes et paroisses de la Seine-Maritime p.95 repeats the Haus an der Düne theory for the four instances in that département.
Keith
From: The English Place-Name List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: 28 January 2014 15:37
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Subject: AW: [EPNL] Houdain (Normandy)
A Scandinavian interpretations begs the question of Norman institutions. Since the Normans rapidly became part of the feudal structure of Carolingian and post-Carolingian Neustria, it would seem unlikely that such an essentially Scandinavian institution as the thing would have survived for any length of time. We should also remember that the Normans gave up their Scandinavian language within a generation or so in favour of Old French in its Northern variety. Here at least, Dudo of Saint-Quentin is perfectly credible.
I.
-----Original-Nachricht-----
Betreff: [EPNL] Houdain (Normandy)
Datum: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:14:16 +0100
Von: Keith Briggs <[log in to unmask]>
Apologies for crossing the channel, but words for meeting-places seem to be of general interest.
In Normandy (and other parts of northern France) are places called Hodenc, Hodeng, Hodent, Houdain, Houdan etc. The early spellings of these typically have Hus- or Hos- (see e.g. http://fr.geneawiki.com/index.php/62457_-_Houdain ).
The standard reference works offer no certain etymology; Dauzat & Rostaing mention an -ing formation on a Germanic name Hosed, or a personal name Husding.
Lepelley (Noms de lieux de Normandie p.37) is not happy with this and suggests «haus an der düne».
Could this instead be simply Scandinavian hús-þing ‘husting’ (cf. Björkman, Scandinavian loan-words in ME p.214)? Some of the places seem to be well sited as meeting places; e.g. 62150 Houdain is on a major Roman road.
Against this, the word does not seem to be recorded independently in French. It is not mentioned in Ridel, Les Vikings et les mots: l'apport de l'ancien scandinave à la langue française, but that work deals mostly with maritime terminology.
Keith