habitant

¹ American  

[hab-i-tuhnt] / ˈhæb ɪ tənt /

noun

1. an inhabitant.

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habitant ² American  

[hab-i-tuhnt, a-bee-tahn] / ˈhæb ɪ tənt, a biˈtɑ̃ /

noun

plural

habitants

1. a French settler in Canada or Louisiana, or a descendant of one, especially a farmer.

2. Canadian. a Canadian of French speech and culture, especially one residing in the province of Quebec.

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habitant British  

/ ˈhæbɪtənt /

noun

1. a less common word for inhabitant

2. 1. an early French settler in Canada or Louisiana, esp a small farmer

   2. a descendant of these settlers, esp a farmer

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Etymology

Origin of habitant¹

1480–90; < Latin habitant- (stem of habitāns ), present participle of habitāre to inhabit. See habitat, -ant

Origin of habitant²

1780–90; < French, present participle of habiter < Latin habitāre to inhabit

Example Sentences

France consumes about 2.2 pounds of mustard a year per habitant, making it the world’s largest consumer.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2022

The habitant calls it the "victory in the cradle."

From Time Magazine Archive

The tourists invaded the handicraft shops for carved wooden curios, bright habitant shawls, blankets, hooked rugs, and furs.

From Time Magazine Archive

With the door suddenly open to new opportunities, the church-oriented conservative rural habitant rapidly evolved into the secular, outgoing urban Quebecois, with typically North American tastes for big cars, color-television sets and le rock.

From Time Magazine Archive

And the bread," said I; "we must carry two or three loaves of good habitant bread, just for the first week out.

From The Unknown Quantity A Book of Romance and Some Half-Told Tales by Van Dyke, Henry