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behaviour

[bih-heyv-yer]
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noun Chiefly British.
  1. behavior.
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Usage note

See -or1.

behavior

[bih-heyv-yer]
noun
  1. manner of behaving or acting.
  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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Also especially British, be·hav·iour.

Origin of behavior

1375–1425; behave + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor < Middle French (h)avoir ≪ Latin habēre to have); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver. See behave, -or1
Related formsbe·hav·ior·al, adjectivebe·hav·ior·al·ly, adverbin·ter·be·hav·ior, nounin·ter·be·hav·ior·al, adjectivein·ter·be·hav·ior·al·ly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for behavior on Thesaurus.com
1. demeanor, manners; bearing, carriage.

Synonym study

1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for behaviours

Historical Examples

  • Jerry, if you don't like any of my behaviours, why were you nice to me?

    Cinderella Jane

    Marjorie Benton Cooke

  • I will teach the children their behaviours; and I will be like a jack-an-apes also, to burn the knight with my taber.

    The Merry Wives of Windsor

    William Shakespeare

  • Of course, I knew that many of them must have two behaviours, and that now they were on their good behaviour.

British Dictionary definitions for behaviours

behaviour

US behavior

noun
  1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself
  2. on one's best behaviour behaving with careful good manners
  3. psychol
    1. the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
    2. a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
  4. the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances
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Derived Formsbehavioural or US behavioral, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from behave; influenced in form by Middle English havior, from Old French havoir, from Latin habēre to have
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for behaviours

behaviour

n.

chiefly British English spelling of behavior; for suffix, see -or.

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behavior

n.

late 15c., essentially from behave, but with ending from Middle English havour "possession," a word altered (by influence of have) from aver, noun use of Old French verb aveir "to have."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
behaviours in Medicine

behavior

(bĭ-hāv′yər)
n.
  1. The actions or reactions of persons or things in response to external or internal stimuli.
  2. The manner in which one behaves.
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Related formsbe•hav′ior•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
behaviours in Science

behavior

[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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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with behaviours

behavior

see on one's best behavior.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.