The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Cohabitation

COHABITATION, the act of a man and woman in living together as husband and wife. It does not necessarily include the notion of sexual intercourse between the parties, but is commonly held, even in law, to do so, and this is always the case when the parties are unmarried. Applied to husband and wife it may mean only consortium. Cohabitation raises a legal presumption of marriage between the parties cohabiting, which may be rebutted by other evidence. See Marriage.