habitat

American  

[hab-i-tat] / ˈhæb ɪˌtæt /

noun

1. the natural environment of an organism; the place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism.

   Orchids have a tropical habitat.

2. the place where a person or thing is usually found.

   Paris is a major habitat of artists.

3. a special environment for living in over an extended period, as an underwater research vessel.

4. habitation.

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habitat British  

/ ˈhæbɪˌtæt /

noun

1. the environment in which an animal or plant normally lives or grows

2. the place in which a person, group, class, etc, is normally found

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habitat Scientific  

/ hăb′ĭ-tăt′ /

1. The area or natural environment in which an organism or population normally lives. A habitat is made up of physical factors such as soil, moisture, range of temperature, and availability of light as well as biotic factors such as the availability of food and the presence of predators. A habitat is not necessarily a geographic area—for a parasitic organism it is the body of its host or even a cell within the host's body.

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habitat Cultural  

1. The area or type of environment in which a particular kind of animal or plant usually lives.

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Related Words

See ecosystem ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of habitat

First recorded in 1755–65; from Latin: “it inhabits,” 3rd person singular present indicative of habitāre “to inhabit, dwell, live,” frequentative of habēre “to have, hold”

Example Sentences

Collecting suitable samples is also difficult, since fresh DNA is needed and many species live in remote or hard-to-reach habitats.

From Science Daily

Milk parsley, which grows in marshy habitats, was once widespread around Hornsea Mere, but has declined sharply in recent decades.

From BBC

Max Space, which recently notched a multimillion-dollar investment from Voyager Technologies, is developing space habitats designed to fit on launch vehicles and then expand to up to 20 times their compact size.

From MarketWatch

Voyager can build space station modules and habitats as well as propulsion and communications technologies.

From Barron's

He began by visiting the Theodore Payne Foundation’s demonstration garden in Sun Valley, where people can see native plants growing in their natural habitat.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cave
• dwelling
• environment
• haven
• nest
• surroundings
• terrain
• territory