noun
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a dwelling place
-
occupation of a dwelling place
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Many houses have the neglected look of infrequent habitation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Fenley said she and other Democrats in town were concerned about having people "warehoused in a place that was not built for human habitation".
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
For example, there are potential plans to use underground cave systems on the moon as habitation, which would reduce the radiation danger substantially.
From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2026
You won’t see deer, tapir, peccaries, monkeys or chicken-like curassows anywhere within trekking distance of habitation; they’ve all been eaten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
There were no signs of human habitation in that direction.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Pedestrians crossing the bridge pass through a fabricated interior, a cavern-like space printed in 3D realism and enhanced with a specially designed scent to evoke the dank, earthy aroma of humankind’s early habitations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
But what those habitations looked like—or whether they were occupied year-round—remains unclear.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 14, 2023
Mr Kenoyer says he's confident that "there must be some settlements that relate to the cemetery, but they are probably lying beneath modern habitations or so far undiscovered".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2023
Media showed images of the river lashing through the hills and entering human habitations.
From Reuters ● Oct. 4, 2023
At these generous habitations, we halted briefly, that an ensign might deliver word to the inhabitants of our securing the island in the name of His Majesty.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
