habitation

[hab-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. a place of residence; dwelling; abode.

   Synonyms: domicile, home

2. the act of inhabiting; occupancy by inhabitants.

3. a colony or settlement; community.

   Each of the scattered habitations consisted of a small number of huts.

habitation

/ ˌhæbɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a dwelling place

2. occupation of a dwelling place

Other Word Forms

• habitational adjective
• interhabitation noun
• nonhabitation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of habitation¹

1325–75; Middle English ( h ) abitacioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin habitātiōn- (stem of habitātiō ) a dwelling, equivalent to habitāt ( us ) inhabited (past participle of habitāre; habitat ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

"This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work," Mr Kumar says, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern India.

From BBC

Verrelli spent nine years in Arizona, an arid environment where many organisms struggle to survive, but that has now been altered and made more hospitable by human habitation.

From Salon

Lab-grown food, she said, could potentially be better for astronauts, as well as reduce costs to the levels required to make long-term off-world habitation viable.

From BBC

The government in Bratislava has already loosened legal protections allowing bears to be killed if they stray too close to human habitation.

From BBC

More than 6,250 people are homeless in San José, according to 2023 estimates, including nearly 4,400 who are living on the streets, in cars or in abandoned buildings not suitable for habitation.

From Los Angeles Times