'uninhabitable' originates from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the word 'inhabitable', which comes from Latin 'inhabitabilis', where 'in-' meant 'in' and 'habitare' meant 'to dwell'.

'inhabitabilis' transformed into the Old French word 'inhabitable', and eventually became the modern English word 'inhabitable', with the prefix 'un-' added to form 'uninhabitable'.

Initially, it meant 'not able to be lived in', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.