#habitare

[interretialia]

De Verbis “Vivere” et “Habitare” et “Incolere” / About the Words “Vivere,” “Habitare,” and “Incolere”

Although the Latin words vivere, habitare, and incolere can be translated as “to live,” they are not at all interchangeable. They have different meanings and appear in indifferent constructions. In this essay I explain their meanings, show how they differ from one another, and point out some errors while giving some suggestions for ways to correct those errors.

Contents

Vivere

Habitare

Incolere

Errors from Misunderstanding

Sources

1. Vivere

Vivere is intransitive and has a meaning relevant to the related noun vita, “life.” It means “to live” as in “to have life,” “to be alive,” “to survive.” It can mean “to live” as opposed to “to die” (mori). It can even take a cognate accusative: vitam vivo, “I live a life.”

In situations where it seems to mean “to live in a place” or “to dwell,” it specifically has the meaning “to spend one’s life.” The idea of the word in situations like that relates to the fact of living rather than the location of that activity. If we say, “in loco vivimus” (“we live in a place”), we are making the point that we are passing our life in that place, not that we reside there.

One can use this verb for words or images written or drawn on objects in such a way that those words and images have the appearance of having life.

2. Habitare

Habitare is both transitive and intransitive. It has a meaning that is related to the English derivatives habitat and inhabit: “to live,” “to dwell,” “to have one’s stationary residence.”

Unlike vivere, habitare relates to the environment in which the relevant activity takes place. It also corresponds to what we mean when we say we live in something. The physical location in question (called habitatio in Latin) is very often a house or building: illasce habitat aedes or in illisce habitat aedibus, “he lives in that building.”

The word has some metaphorical meanings (e.g. in oculis habitare, “to be in public”), but even in those situations we can get a sense of the environment of the word’s application.

3. Incolere

Incolere is mostly transitive but sometimes is intransitive. Its derivative incola, “resident,” indicates its meaning: “to reside” or “to inhabit” some region or country. This verb refers to the activity of either a citizen (civis) or an inhabitant (incola) who belongs to the area in question, as opposed to the activity of a foreigner (peregrinus).

Julius Caesar, in the first sentence of the first book of his De Bello Gallico, gives us a good example of the use of the word: Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, “Gaul, in the widest sense, is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgians inhabit.”

4. Errors from Misunderstanding

Now I shall point out some errors that arise from not understanding how these words differ from one another, and then offer corrections.

First, let us consider the first sentence of Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis, the Latin version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:

Dominus et Domina Dursley, qui vivebant in aedibus Gestationis Ligustrorum numero quattuor signatis, non sine superbia dicebant se ratione ordinaria vivendi uti neque se paenitere illius rationis.

Whenever I read this, I get the mental image of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley existing as life-like drawings on the side of a building. The main reason is that this sentence contains an obvious error: vivebant. These people are living in a building, so the word that should have been used is habitabant.

Let us now look at this meme:

This seems to be saying, “We shall live in a society.” The Latin words in that case would be based on the We Live in a Society meme. But the context of the meme and the position of the In Societate make it clear that the “live” relates to the environment in which the relevant activity takes place, and so the word that we ought to be using for the image is habitabimus.

These two errors suggest to me that translators tend to use vivere as the all-purpose word for “to live” when preparing Latin translations of English. But as my explanations above show, the word is unable to serve such a function.

5. Sources

Döderlein's Hand-Book of Latin Synonyms, Rev. H. H. Arnold;

Latin Synonyms, M. J. B. Gardin-Dumesnil;

New Latin Grammar, Allen and Greenough;

Oxford Latin Dictionary.

     - Ian Andreas “Diaphanus” Miller

[oravanpesa]

Kokosin Oravanpesä-blogiin Habitare-messujen* parhaita paloja. Käy lukemassa! Tämä kuva @lapuankankurit -osastolta. ♥️ #LKHabitare #lapuankankurit #habitare #habitare2022 #slowsimpleseasonal #asecondofwhimsy #thissimplescene #distractionsandinspirations #bevisuallyinspired #searchwondercollect #theartofslowliving #verilymoment #nothingisordinary #thehappynow #seekthesimplycity #ccseasonal #visualoflife #itsallaboutthedetails #awakethelight #forprettysake #poetryofsimplethings *Liput messuille saatu @messukeskus (paikassa Messukeskus) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiW7EFGNAAy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cgus2014]

Habitare: Las historias de Ximena Ibáñez en el Concejo de San Isidro

Habitare: Las historias de Ximena Ibáñez en el Concejo de San Isidro

La artista plástica Ximena Ibáñez inauguró ayer viernes su muestra de cerámicas Habitare. En el Concejo Deliberante de San Isidro (25 de mayo 459). Ibáñez es profesora nacional de Bellas Artes, egresada de la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón. La exhibición permanecerá abierta con acceso libre y además gratuito, de lunes a viernes de 8 a 16. La inauguración, ayer viernes…

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[denorteanorte]

Habitare: Las historias de Ximena Ibáñez en el Concejo de San Isidro

Habitare: Las historias de Ximena Ibáñez en el Concejo de San Isidro

La artista plástica Ximena Ibáñez inauguró ayer viernes su muestra de cerámicas Habitare. En el Concejo Deliberante de San Isidro (25 de mayo 459). Ibáñez es profesora nacional de Bellas Artes, egresada de la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón. La exhibición permanecerá abierta con acceso libre y además gratuito, de lunes a viernes de 8 a 16. La inauguración, ayer viernes…

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[pachecocorretorimobiliario]

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[ayaka-44-jp]

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[katiabragafotografia-blog]

São inúmeras as idéias que fazem uma casa bonita e moderna. Porém, nada melhor que reunir referências inspiradoras. Área externa revestida com tijolinho queimado em combinação com as esquadrias pretas, além da pintura efeito cimento queimado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #habitare #residencias #inspiração #imovelweb #realestatephotography #personalbroker #areaexterna #realtor #realestate #fotografiaarquitetura #arq #homedecor #instadecor #instahomestaging #inspiration #designerdeinteriores #arqdecor #room #katiabragafotografia #interiores #fotografia #interiorphotography #residencias #imobiliário #habitar #instaphotography #casacor #instafotografia #instagood #homeluxo https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-yt43Hl1T/?igshid=1cks8a8iziq0a

[surfkazz]

#Helsinki #Finland #habitate2018 #habitare #こっちはもう冬です！ #寒いっス (Helsinki) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bns3xO6nCU7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eac9xwy137rg