behavior

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
16
Words With Friends
17
Letters
8
Pronunciation
/bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/
See all 4 pronunciations
/bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/ · /bɪˈheɪ.vjɚ/ · /bɪˈhæɪ.vjə(ɹ)/ · /bɪˈheːvɪjɚ/

Definition of behavior

5 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (US, uncountable, usually)Human conduct relative to social norms.
    “Teachers will probably be on their best behaviour for your visit – but don't be upset if they don't even notice you; they've got enough going on.”
See all 5 definitions

noun

  1. (US, uncountable, usually)Human conduct relative to social norms.
    “Teachers will probably be on their best behaviour for your visit – but don't be upset if they don't even notice you; they've got enough going on.”
  2. (US, countable, uncountable, usually)The way or manner a living creature behaves or acts generally.
  3. (US, informal, uncountable, usually)A state of probation about one's conduct.
    “He was on his best behavior when her family visited.”
  4. (US, countable, uncountable, usually)An observable response produced by an organism.
  5. (US, uncountable, usually)The way a device or system operates.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan Old English behabban…

See full etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan Old English behabban Middle English behaven Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old French avoirbor. Middle English havour Middle English behavoure English behavior From Middle English behavoure, behaver, from behaven (modern behave), morphologically equivalent to behave + -ior. The suffix was adopted in imitation of havour (modern haviour, havior), an etymologically unrelated word that was corrupted from Anglo‐Norman Anglo-Norman aveir and Old French Old French avoir (“property, wealth”) through false association with the native English verb have. The French term derives ultimately from Latin Latin habēre (“to have, hold”). Compare Scots havings (“behavior”), from have (“to behave”). Replaced Old English ġebǣru.

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1 extension · 1 back

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