homework

From home +‎ work.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊmˌwɜːk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/

homework (usually uncountable, plural homeworks)

1. Work that is done at home, especially school exercises assigned by a teacher.
   • 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:

     Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. […] Children address teachers by their first names. Even 15-year-olds do no more than 30 minutes'^[sic] homework a night.

   You must do your homework before you can watch television.

2. Preliminary or preparatory work, such as research.

   The speaker had certainly done his homework before delivering the lecture.

3. (uncommon) Housework.

The term is generally used to refer to primary or secondary school assignments as opposed to college-level coursework.

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:homework.

• busy work
• schoolwork

• workhome