bewohnbare

Bewohnbare is a German adjective meaning habitable, i.e., capable of supporting life. It is used to describe environments, planets, moons, or zones that could sustain living organisms under suitable conditions, such as liquid water, a breathable atmosphere, and moderate temperatures. The opposite term is unbewohnbar.

Form and declension: The base adjective is bewohnbar. When used attributively before nouns, the form bewohnbare is used for feminine singular and plural nouns, as in eine bewohnbare Zone or bewohnbare Regionen. For masculine singular or neuter singular, other endings occur (bewohnbarer Planet; bewohnbares Klima).

Usage in science and fiction: In astronomy and planetary science, the phrase bewohnbare Zone denotes the region around a star where conditions might allow liquid water on a planet’s surface. This corresponds to the English term habitable zone. The adjective is also used in discussions of bewohnbare Welten, bewohnbare Planeten, and other contexts in science fiction and popular science to describe worlds that could harbor life.

Related terms and notes: The opposite, unbewohnbar, is used for places deemed unsuitable for living organisms. In German-language discussions of astrobiology and exoplanets, bewohnbare is commonly paired with Zone or Welt to convey the concept of potential habitability, following the widely used English concept of habitability.