Legal Definitions - habitant

Definition: A habitant is a person who either holds land in feudal tenure from a seignior according to French law or a native of Canada of French descent, especially one from the farming class.

• During the feudal period in France, a habitant was a person who held land from a seignior and paid rent or provided services in exchange for protection.
• Many habitants in Canada were farmers who worked the land and lived in small communities.

The examples illustrate the two different meanings of the term habitant. The first example shows how the term was used in feudal France, while the second example shows how it was used in Canada to refer to French-speaking farmers.