habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of inhabiting : occupancy

not fit for human habitation

2

: a dwelling place

3

: settlement, colony

Synonyms

• occupancy
• occupation
• possession
• residency

Examples of habitation in a Sentence

The house was not fit for human habitation.

a wilderness area with few habitations

Recent Examples on the Web

Eddy told me her member companies spent much of this year preparing for last week’s vote, identifying 15 project sites in the Central Valley and Imperial Valley with signs of owl habitation and working with biologists to craft a conservation strategy. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

Produced by Production Grinding & Machining. Astro Garden (Madison): Large-scale vegetable production system designed to support prolonged human habitation in space. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2024

After securing an opossum in your trap, immediately release the animal at least five miles away from human habitation. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2024

The idea of transforming Mars into a world more hospitable to human habitation is a regular feature of science fiction. —Reuters, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English habitacioun, from Anglo-French habitaciun, from Latin habitation-, habitatio, from habitare to inhabit, frequentative of habēre

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌhab-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of inhabiting : occupancy

2

: a dwelling place : residence

Legal Definition

habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən 

1

a

: the act of occupying or inhabiting

b

in the civil law of Louisiana : the right of a person to dwell in the house of another

2

: a dwelling place