'housebound' originates from the combination of 'house' and 'bound', where 'house' refers to a dwelling and 'bound' means 'restricted or confined'.

'housebound' evolved from the Old English word 'hūs' for 'house' and the Middle English 'bounden', meaning 'obliged or confined'.

Initially, it meant 'confined to one's house', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.