廄屋係一種,地下馬房兼放馬車,樓上人。廄屋起喺啲幾好城中住宅區,起一棟畀馬伕住、車伕住,同埋有錢人馬房僕人。咁起好處,主宅唔怕馬房有嘈有味。

廄屋
窄廄屋街
闊廄屋街

廄屋同主宅起成排,排屋來。廄屋同主宅打對面,一對一對。中間隔條街,叫廄屋街[1],畀馬車過,而名就由跟主街。二十世紀後,馬車變汽車,馬房變車房,街變車巷,沿用舊名。

如今類似風格住宅,都叫廄屋。

廄屋英文mews,來自御廐,英文Royal Mews,即英國皇家馬房。然而mews至初指一三七七年所起皇家鷹舍,困住獵鷹地方,換毛時會留喺處。mews來自法文muer,正正換毛換皮之意[2]。莎士比亞英文mew up,就有困住意思[3][4][5]。一五八四年鷹舍改成馬房,換用唔換名.[6]。十七世紀起就變成通名,有廄屋用法[7]

  1. Oxford English Dictionary online, accessed 17 February 2019
  2. Oxford English Dictionary online, accessed 17 February 2019
  3. Samuel Weller Singer, ed., The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare, vol. III (Chiswick: Charles Whittinghame, College House, 1826), p.357, fn. 13
  4. Ibid. p. 357
  5. See mew up at Shakespeare's Words website. Accessed 26 March 2017
  6. Oxford English Dictionary online, accessed 17 February 2019
  7. Oxford English Dictionary online, accessed 17 February 2019