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

But Malé is already pressed up hard against the limits of human habitation. —Maahil Mohamed Elke Scholiers, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

The only sign of human habitation was below: a dirt circle surrounded by fanlike lean-tos made of wooden poles and palm fronds. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Another layer came late Monday morning as the Brotherhood Building was tagged as unfit for human habitation by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. —Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024

The one sign of habitation were the occasional encampments of round white yurts, known here as gers, which appear suddenly and mysteriously in the grasslands like overnight mushrooms. —Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024

Many of these people own habitation and plantations in the West Indies. —Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 28 Feb. 2024

Priority is based on who needs shelter the most, including those who are actively unsheltered, living in places not meant for human habitation, fleeing domestic violence or dealing with other urgent safety concerns. —Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 27 Jan. 2024

While Ukraine waits for the U.S. Congress to resolve its debate over funding, Russia persists with its attritional offensives, throwing thousands of men into battles for towns that are battered beyond habitation when and if they are taken. —Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024

The lunar southlands are also a key target for future installments in NASA’s Artemis program, paving the way for semi-permanent human habitation on our nearest celestial neighbor. —Popular Science, 22 Aug. 2023

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