habitat
HAB-ih-tat
/ˈhæbətæt/
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Refers strictly to the physical location and physical parameters where an organism resides.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'habitat' meaning 'it inhabits', third-person singular present of 'habitare' (to dwell), originally used in Latin biological descriptions of plants.
Word relationships
- dwelling place: Dwelling place is a human-oriented or literary term, while habitat is standard scientific jargon.
Commonly confused with
- niche: Habitat is an organism's address; niche is its job within that address.
Word family
- habitable (adjective): Suitable or good enough to live in.
- habitation (noun): The act of dwelling in a place.
Collocations
- natural habitat
- habitat destruction
- habitat fragmentation
- habitat restoration
Example sentences
- "Deforestation threatens the natural habitat of thousands of endemic bird species." Wildlife conservation
Memory hook
HABITAT = where organisms form HABITS of daily living. An organism's biological home address.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'niche', which is the functional role or job of the organism rather than its home address.
Fun facts
- In 18th-century botany manuals written in Latin, descriptions of plants literally began with the word 'Habitat' followed by the region.
Related words
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