habitant

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French habitant

Noun

habitant (plural habitants)

1. (Canada) a member of habitation colony at Stadacona founded by Samuel de Champlain, where Quebec City now lies
2. (archaic) Inhabitant, dweller.
   • 1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night

     Myriads of habitants are ever sleeping,

     Or dead, or fled from nameless pestilence!

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Catalan

Noun

habitant m (plural habitants)

1. inhabitant

Verb

habitant

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French

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /a.bi.tɑ̃/

• Audio (France, Paris):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃
• Homophone: habitants

Verb

habitant

1. present participle of habiter

Noun

habitant m (plural habitants)

1. An inhabitant of some place.
2. (Quebec, derogatory) Someone who has a poor understanding of social conventions, making them look backward.
3. (Quebec, dated or derogatory) Anybody from a rural or recently colonized area.
4. (Canada, historical) A member of the habitation colony at Stadacona founded by Samuel de Champlain, where Quebec City now lies.
5. (Quebec, colloquial) Montreal Canadiens hockey club or supporter of Montreal Canadiens hockey club.
6. (Louisiana) A farmer.

Synonyms

• (farmer): agriculteur m; (dated) fermier

Usage notes

• Although the term originates as legitimate to describe early French colonists and French Canadian farmers, it has now taken a strong pejorative aspect in Quebec French, and using it without an explicit location would be perceived as pejorative.

Further reading

• “habitant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) habitant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of habitō

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Middle French

Noun

habitant m (plural habitans)

1. inhabitant; dweller

Descendants

• French: habitant