Cohabitates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To occupy a shared living space as part of a committed romantic or domestic relationship without being legally married
2. To share a home with another person in a romantic or domestic partnership without formal marriage
3. To reside jointly with a partner in an intimate relationship without entering into legal marriage

Etymology: "Cohabitates" is the third-person singular present form of "cohabitate," a verb meaning to live together as partners without being married. The verb "cohabitate" is a back-formation from "cohabitation," meaning the verb was created by stripping the ending off the noun, reversing the usual direction in which words are derived. The noun came first, built from Latin "cohabitare," meaning "to dwell together," which combines "com-" ("together") with "habitare" ("to live"), itself a frequentative form of "habere," "to have" or "to hold." Most English verbs ending in "-ate" were borrowed or formed from Latin participles, so "cohabitate" looks like it should have a long pedigree, but it was simply made to match the noun. Speakers needed a verb to go with "cohabitation," and the shorter form was derived from it in English.

Synonyms: lives together, coexists, cohabits