behavior

nouncommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//bɪˈheɪ.vjə//
Canada//bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ//
Australia//bɪˈhæɪ.vjə//
New Zealand//bəˈhæɪ.vjə//

Human conduct relative to social norms.

noun

1
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
An inappropriate or forbidden action.
When a patient has a behavior, document it in their records.
3
The way or manner a living creature behaves or acts generally.
4
informalA state of probation about one's conduct.
He was on his best behavior when her family visited.
5
An observable response produced by an organism.
6
The way a device or system operates.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- substratebor.? 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.

Forms

plural: behaviors

behave · To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform.behaved · Exhibiting the specified kind of behaviour.behaving · Behaviour.

behavior · Human conduct relative to social norms.

behavioral · Of or relating to behavior.behaviour · British standard spelling of behavior.beheaded · Having had one's head cut off.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.