habitat

noun

SayHAB-i-tat/ˈhæbɪtæt/

4 meanings of habitat

1
nouncountable
The natural area where a particular animal or plant is normally found.
Like the part of a forest where you always expect to find deer.
Tigers have lost much of their natural habitat to farming.
The reef is the only habitat where this fish naturally lives.
Similarrange, territory, home
Note
2
noununcountable
The natural conditions a living thing needs in order to survive in a place.
Like the right weather and food a pet needs to stay healthy.
This frog needs a damp, shady habitat to stay alive.
Without the right habitat, the seeds will not grow.
Similarenvironment, conditions
Note
3
nouncountable
A land or water area set apart by its own special natural features.
Like a neighborhood: a place with its own look and its own mix of living things.
The wetland is a rich habitat full of birds and insects.
Builders destroyed an important habitat when they drained the marsh.
Similarenvironment, ecosystem
Note
4
nouncountable or uncountable
The everyday place where a person lives and feels at home.
Like the home where you feel most comfortable.
The busy city has become his natural habitat over the years.
She felt the quiet village was the perfect habitat for her.
Similarelement, environment, domain, home, territory
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin habitat, meaning "it lives or dwells." Scientists like Linnaeus wrote sentences beginning with "Habitat" ("it lives in...") to say where a species was found, and the word came to mean the place itself.