Behavior

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. The way in which an individual interacts with their environment reflects their actions and habits, which may vary depending on different circumstances
2. Actions and reactions that characterize an individual's dealings in various situations reveal their patterns and tendencies
3. The manner in which a person or animal acts in certain situations as influenced by internal and external factors

Etymology: The word looks like it should be a plain compound of "behave" and a suffix, but its ending is a borrowed-looking fragment from an entirely different word. The "-ior" was not taken from "behave" at all. It was attached in imitation of "havour" (modern "haviour"), a word meaning property or wealth, which came from Anglo-Norman "aveir" and Old French "avoir," both descended from Latin "habēre," "to have, hold." Those two words were unrelated in origin but drifted together in English. "Havour" was reshaped by association with the native verb "have," and English speakers then gave "behave" a matching noun ending, producing "behavoure" in Middle English. That form, later shortened and respelled, became the modern noun. English had its own word for this idea before. "Behavior" replaced the Old English "ġebǣru," so the modern term is a relatively late arrival that displaced a native noun.

Synonyms: conduct, actions, demeanor, performance, manners

Antonyms: misconduct, immorality, disorder, irresponsibility, indiscipline