behavior

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv yər /

especially British, behaviour

noun

1. manner of behaving or acting.

   Synonyms:

   carriage, bearing, demeanor

2. Psychology, Animal Behavior.

   1. observable activity in a human or animal.

   2. the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.

   3. a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.

3. Often behaviors. a behavior pattern.

4. the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances.

   the behavior of tin under heat.

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behavior Scientific  

/ bĭ-hāv′yər /

1. The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.

2. One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct, while others (such as hunting) must be learned.

3. The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.

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behavior Idioms  

1. see on one's best behavior.

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Related Words

Behavior, conduct, deportment, comportment refer to one's actions before or toward others, especially on a particular occasion. Behavior refers to actions usually measured by commonly accepted standards: His behavior at the party was childish. Conduct refers to actions viewed collectively, especially as measured by an ideal standard: Conduct is judged according to principles of ethics. Deportment is behavior related to a code or to an arbitrary standard: Deportment is guided by rules of etiquette. The teacher gave Susan a mark of B in deportment. Comportment is behavior as viewed from the standpoint of one's management of one's own actions: His comportment was marked by a quiet assurance.

Other Word Forms

• behavioral adjective
• interbehavior noun

Etymology

Origin of behavior

First recorded in 1375–1425; behave ( def. ) + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor, from Middle French (h)avoir “a having,” ultimately from Latin habēre “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; -or ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

There are two routes to fixing investor behavior when it comes to IRAs.

From MarketWatch

His avoidance of the public eye is consistent with past behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal

Strong interactions between the layers lead to very different transmission behaviors for left- and right-circularly polarized light under "normal incidence," or polarized light that hits perpendicular to the surface.

From Science Daily

Their efforts also send a message that such behavior is unacceptable, they say.

From Los Angeles Times

However, it does not yet distinguish which type of early plate behavior was dominant.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• act
• action
• attitude
• conduct
• demeanor
• management
• nature
• performance
• practice
• presence
• role
• style