Conference thebay::joyoflex

    
    
    					:-}

>    What is the difference between 'habitate' and 'inhabit' ?

     'Inhabit' is an English word, and 'habitate' is some collection of
     letters you put together (to be confused with another note about
     when is a word not a word).
    
>    If one can say "this area is habitable" what is the single word
>    for "not habitable" . All I can think of is "uninhabitable" .
    
     Quite. The "in" is serving the noble purpose of making the word
     pronouncable, and pleasing to the ears of the English-speaking world.
     
     	Steve

    Depends.  I habitually inhabit my habitation.  If you want to habituate
the practice of habitating your particular habitat, that would make you either
a habitu� or a word-coiner (as in .2, "habitate" isn't in _my_ dictionary).

Jon

    There's a chain of stores called Habitat, selling up-market household
    items. They're rather expensive. My habitat contains nothing from
    Habitat.
    
    -- brian

    Would that make 'habitating' something akin to 'vegitating' but
    only in Habitat (the shop) ??

    Very well , gentlepeople .
    
    Feeling good ? Looking happy ? Or something .
    Now 
    
    What is the difference between 'habitable' and 'inhabitable' .
    I'm still looking for the use of the 'in' .
    
    John J
    

�    What is the difference between 'habitable' and 'inhabitable' .
    
    Habitable   = 'You can live in'
    Inhabitable = 'You can't live in'
    
    To not mistake with 'inbitable', which means 'not understandable', and
    which is *** slang french (scale is from 0 -popular- to 5 -dirty- ).
    
    Pierre_who_occasionaly_teaches_slang_french -
    to_english_people_willing_to_cope_with_french_drivers. :-)

    I always thought that habitable and inhabitable meant the same, like
    flammable and inflammable, and regardless and irregardless.
    
    If a person is uncouth does that mean he/she/it lacks couth?

    	Pierre was taking the French meanings for habitable and
    inhabitable. This is one case where the French seem more logical.
    
    	Uncouth does mean lacking couth, though I think these days you
    would only hear a Scot describe something as couth. Read Rabbie.
    
    	For a detailed etymology of the French word "inbitable" you should
    probably consult a Parisian taxi driver on your next visit.

    I ain't a Parisian taxi driver (I failed the exam : though I had some
    hope 'cos I jumped enough red lights, I couldn't scare enough
    pedestrians, and they refuse me taxi licence :-) ), but to my
    knowledge, the 'in-' prefixe exprims the negation version of 'bitable',
    which is a devirate of the verb 'biter', which is itself a derivate of
    the word 'bite' (in english : 'dick' or 'cock'). The verb 'biter' is a
    *** slang for 'comprendre' (in english : 'to understand').
    
    There is this very well known expression in the french university
    vocabulary, which is to be said when a Math professor has begin the
    demonstration of a theorem since an hour, and one of the students
    suddendly says to his neighbour : 
    
    -- "J'ai rien bit�"
    
    For the aficionados, here are some equivalents of the expression, which
    keep though the slang degree :
    
    -- "J'ai rien pig�" (*) -- old french slang, but still in use.
    -- "J'ai rien pan�" (**)
    -- "J'entrave que pouic" (***)
    -- "J'entrave que dalle" (***)
    
    All of these expressions can be suited to the Nouveau Slang (after
    the Nouvelle Cuisine), the 'verlan', which I'll tell you about in some
    later note, if you want.
    
    
    Pierre.
    

    An uncouth person doesn't lack couth; he/she/it isn't couth. Couth is
    an adjective (or used to be), and you can't lack an adjective (unless
    you think language is worth using thoughtfully ;-) 

    Couth is related to `coude' (which has become our `could'); I seem to
    remember that one of the Canterbury pilgrims `of [something_or_other]
    coude the arte'. In a lot of languages,  having abilities is usually
    expressed in terms of knowing: _Je_sais_nager_/`I can swim'. 

    So someone who's couth is canny (sort of - etymologicallyy, I mean).

    b

    .re afew back...
    
    Inhabitable = Able to be lived in, from the verb, "inhabit" (from
    the Latin for dwell in)
    Habitable = Fit to be lived in, from the noun, "habit" (from the
    Latin for have)
    
    Inflammable = Easily excited, from the verb, "inflame" 
    Flammable = Easily set on fire, from the noune, "flame"
    
    Regardless = Without regard for objections, from the noun, "regard"
    Irregardless = A silly collection of letters that does not form
    an English word.
    
    
    Spd     
    

    	I notice from looking round my household equipment that the
    logical French also use the word ininflammable...

    
    G'day from Downunder,
    
    Seems the difference between inhabitable and habitable is along
    the same line of fineness of interpretation as the difference between
    'eatable' and 'edible'?  - able to be eaten and fit o be eaten.
    
    Derek