habitative

comparative more habitative · superlative most habitative

1. human sciencesIndicating the types of structures, shelters, places of worship, or organization of homes in a community.

   Taking this fact into account increases the density of known habitative names at Shapwick to 1 about every 185 acres.

   2002, Nick Corcos, The affinities and antecedents of medieval settlement, page 163

   2 more examples

   It is highly worthy of note that Berber indicates the habitative, in all the derived stems, by a vocalism, more consistently even than Akkadian (exceptions to this rule are only seemingly so).

   1981, Yoel L. Arbeitman, Allan R. Bomhard, Bono Homini Donum, page 712

   Another habitative term occurs in Castlethorpe, which was probably originally a simplex name from Old English throp, thought to denote a settlement initially dependent on a more important place.

   1993, R. A. Croft, Dennis C. Mynard, Margaret Gelling, The Changing Landscape of Milton Keynes: Maps, page 47

2. Pertaining to habitation.

   The fiend himself, when started on his ill-intentioned cruise into chaos, could scarcely display a wider range of locomotive and habitative powers.

   1851, The London Quarterly Review, page 165

   3 more examples

   Thus, whatever idea, whatever purpose, whatever need, whatever fancy, predominates in him when he builds, it takes shape, it finds expression, it embodies itself, forthwith, in fitting material, fittingly contrived, and is, according to his habitative wish, his taste in a tabernacle, possibly a pig-sty, possibly a palace; for his range of invention stretches over every thing that lies between the two.

   1854, Homes of American Statesmen, pages 183–184

   According to the principle of subsidiarity, government should be as habitative as possible. Government functions must therefore be exercised at the most habitative level, as close as possible to those affected by the exercise of such functions.

   2012, Koos Malan, Politocracy: An Assessment of the Coercive Logic of the Territorial State and Ideas Around a Response to it, page 282

   In this chapter we shall examine the countryside more in habitative and economic terms: what were the settlement patterns, social structures and economic formations of the countryside?

   2013, Simon Esmonde Cleary, The Roman West, AD 200-500: An Archaeological Study, page 264