View Full Version : what does "cohabitate" mean to you?
this is me asking for help on a law school assignment again. it's an oral argument this time, so i'm terrified, but part of it revolves around an interpretation of ambiguous language in a statute. the word i'm getting hung up on is "cohabitate". i looked it up in a few dictionaries (wasn't in the legal dictionary), some have it defined simply as living together, others define it as living together in a sexual relationship, especially when you're not married (which would work PERFECTLY for the side i have to argue, but it certainly isn't my principal impression of the word)
so what do you think it means? the gist of it is "living together", but to what extent? i have my own ideas, but a plurality of opinions will be helpful to me
edit: or i guess, "cohabit", is the word
Loppfessor
10-23-2006, 03:13 PM
Living in sin....for shame
b i o n i c
10-23-2006, 03:26 PM
you could also cohabitate with a neighbor.
HEIRESS
10-23-2006, 03:28 PM
Ive only ever used it in a biological sense
as in "hey bob, that chick you hooked up with last night has had many another boy cohabitating her niche ifyahknowwhatimsayinnnnnnn"
venusvenus123
10-23-2006, 03:51 PM
it means living under the same roof as your sexual partner, also known as common-law spouse.
doesn't it? :confused:
befsquire
10-23-2006, 04:09 PM
i'll tell you what that means to me if you tell me what carjacking means to you.
wanton wench
10-23-2006, 04:09 PM
when i got divorced my lawyer told me it means i cannot live with someone of the opposite sex. he never said it had anything to do with me sleeping with the person.
abcdefz
10-23-2006, 04:27 PM
i'll tell you what that means to me if you tell me what carjacking means to you.
...satisfying a car without the threat of pregnancy.
You know. Like if the car complains of "blue tires." Over-inflated, like.
befsquire
10-23-2006, 04:29 PM
at least there were rubbers involved.
abcdefz
10-23-2006, 04:29 PM
this is me asking for help on a law school assignment again. it's an oral argument this time, so i'm terrified, but part of it revolves around an interpretation of ambiguous language in a statute. the word i'm getting hung up on is "cohabitate". i looked it up in a few dictionaries (wasn't in the legal dictionary), some have it defined simply as living together, others define it as living together in a sexual relationship, especially when you're not married (which would work PERFECTLY for the side i have to argue, but it certainly isn't my principal impression of the word)
so what do you think it means? the gist of it is "living together", but to what extent? i have my own ideas, but a plurality of opinions will be helpful to me
edit: or i guess, "cohabit", is the word
Depends on the context in which you're picking this up, I'd imagine. I'm sure that, depending on the state, the LAW (not Webster's) defines "cohabit" or "cohabitate" differently.
Talk to President Clinton, who still isn't sure what "is" is.
befsquire
10-23-2006, 04:32 PM
per my 7th edition black's law dictionary:
cohabitation, n. the fact or state of living together, esp. as partners in ife, usu. with the suggestion of sexual relations.
abcdefz
10-23-2006, 04:33 PM
per my 7th edition black's law dictionary:
cohabitation, n. the fact or state of living together, esp. as partners in ife, usu. with the suggestion of sexual relations.
What about heterosexual life partners?
Depends on the context in which you're picking this up, I'd imagine. I'm sure that, depending on the state, the LAW (not Webster's) defines "cohabit" or "cohabitate" differently.
Talk to President Clinton, who still isn't sure what "is" is.
well that's the thing, it really offers no definition. here's the statute:
An able-bodied man, married or single, is considered a substitute father of all the children of th applicant/recipient mother living in her home, whether they are his or not, if: (1) he lives in th ehome with the child's natural or adoptive mother for the purpose of cohabitation; or (2) though not living in the home regularly, he visits frequently for th epurpose of cohabiting with the child's natural or adoptive mother; or (3) he does not frequent the home but cohabits with the child's natural or adoptive mother elsewhere...Where there appears to be a substitute father, any application shall be disapproved or ongoing aid shall be discontinued.
so basically, i'm given a fact pattern; a woman's welfare has been cut off because her case worker has determined that a substitute father exists, and now she's trying to get it back. i've been assigned with defending the decision to cut off the benefits, so i need to prove based on the facts that there appears to be a substitute father. and it allllll boils down to what "cohabit" means. we're given no definitions, obviously the point is to argue over the interpretation of a statute based on ambiguous wording. i won't tell you what the fact pattern is exactly, because i don't want you doing my homework for me.
per my 7th edition black's law dictionary:
cohabitation, n. the fact or state of living together, esp. as partners in ife, usu. with the suggestion of sexual relations.
whaaaaaaaat
i definitely looked it up in westlaw's 8th edition black's law dictionary and it wasn't there. i looked for "cohabit" "cohabitate"...i don't think i looked for "cohabitation" though. nuts! well that simplifies things
abcdefz
10-23-2006, 04:40 PM
if.... (2) though not living in the home regularly, he visits frequently for th epurpose of cohabiting with the child's natural or adoptive mother; or (3) he does not frequent the home but cohabits with the child's natural or adoptive mother elsewhere...
Waaaalll.... if a person can "visit" AND "cohabitate," I'd guess we're talking about something sexual.
FUCK
it is in black's under cohabitation after all. can't believe i missed that. welp, i feel dumb for posting this thread now
i typed that statute without looking at the screen by the way, so if there are a few silly spelling errors, that's why. it's not a real statute, it's a hypothetical (i think?). actually it's not even a statute, it's an administrative regulation but that's for me to worry about
abcdefz
10-23-2006, 04:42 PM
It's like the early cohabit ate the worm.
ScarySquirrel
10-23-2006, 06:14 PM
I didn't read what everyone else said... so I'm just firing from the hip here.
I think of just people living together, in general, when I hear the word cohabitate. Not necessarily a sexual relationship or even anything remotely close to it.
Basically, yeah. Short and sweet.
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