noun
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a dwelling place
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occupation of a dwelling place
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of habitation
1325–75; Middle English ( h ) abitacioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin habitātiōn- (stem of habitātiō ) a dwelling, equivalent to habitāt ( us ) inhabited (past participle of habitāre; see habitat) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Habitation is the state of living somewhere. When an area has no human habitation, it means that no people live there. Use the noun habitation to talk about the place where a person or animal lives, or the process or act of living in a specific spot. You can say that your family's habitation in Oregon lasted for five years, although it's more common to talk in a general way about habitation. The habitation of wolves in the American west, for example, has increased recently. The Latin root is habitationem, "act of dwelling," which comes from habitare, "to live or to dwell."
Vocabulary lists containing habitation
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 4
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There's No Word Like Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Our study suggests that living near a NPP may carry a measurable cancer risk -- one that lessens with distance," said senior author Petros Koutrakis, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation.
From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026
The company also has suffered cost overruns in building the Habitation and Logistics Outpost to house astronauts returning to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2024
Astronauts will live and conduct research in the Habitation and Logistics Outpost made by Northrop for the lunar orbiter, called Gateway.
From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2021
Habitation La Grivelière is a restored 17th-century coffee plantation with an excellent tour and small gift shop.
From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2017
He stole a treasure from the Precious Habitation of that great king.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.