mid-15c., cohabitacioun, "action or state of living together," from Old French cohabitacion "cohabitation; sexual intercourse," or directly from Late Latin cohabitationem (nominative cohabitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of cohabitare "to dwell together," from co- "with, together" (see co-) + habitare "to live, inhabit, dwell," frequentative of habere "to have, to hold, possess" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). Specifically "state of living together as husband and wife without benefit of marriage," implying sexual intercourse, from 1540s.

Native American people of Yuman stock living along the Colorado River, also Mohave, 1831, from native (Yuman) name, hamakhaav, perhaps containing aha "water."

common popular designation of metallic mercury, Middle English quik-silver, from late Old English cwicseolfor, literally "living silver," so called for its mobility, translating Latin argentum vivum (source also of Italian argento vivo), "living silver;" so called from its liquid mobility. See quick (adj.) + silver (n.). Similar formation in Dutch kwikzilver, Old High German quecsilbar, German quecksilber, French vif-argent, Italian argenta viva.

also nonresidence, "fact of not residing within a particular jurisdiction," late 14c., originally with reference to clergy living away from their pastorate or charge, from non- + residence. Related: Non-residency.

1660s, "organic structure, organization" (a sense now rare or obsolete), from organize + -ism. Sense of "living animal or plant, body exhibiting organic life" is by 1842. Related: Organismic; organismal.

also half life, 1864, "unsatisfactory way of living," from half + life; the sense in physics, "amount of time it takes half a given amount of radioactivity to decay" is first attested 1907.

1610s, "mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape" (a sense now obsolete); see plasma. In biology, the meaning "living matter of a cell, protoplasm" is attested by 1864.