Habituating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Becoming accustomed to a stimulus through repeated exposure, reducing response or sensitivity
2. Gradually getting used to a particular condition or environment by frequent contact
3. Developing tolerance or diminished reaction after continual experiencing of a stimulus

Etymology: The verb "habituate" comes from Late Latin "habituō," meaning "to bring into a condition or habit of body," which itself grew from Latin "habitus," the state or condition of a thing or person. That noun is built on "habeō," "to have or hold," so the idea underneath is something like "the way one is held or kept." Latin "habitus" gave English many words about bodily condition and behavior, from "habit" to "inhabit." English borrowed the verb in the form "habituate," which in Middle English meant something physically established or present in the body, a sense that has since faded. Today "habituating" describes the process of becoming accustomed to something, so a person habituating to a noisy neighborhood is gradually stopping noticing the noise. The Latin notion of a settled bodily condition is still present in that slow, unconscious adjustment.

Synonyms: accustoming, adjusting