behave
v.v. to act in a specific way. It often means acting in a way that is polite or follows the rules.
v. to conduct oneself in a specified manner; to act in accordance with social norms or specific rules. Often used intransitively to imply proper or polite conduct.
The children behave well when they visit their grandmother.
If the students do not behave during the field trip, they will lose their afternoon break.
The software began to behave erratically after the latest update, suggesting a conflict between the new code and the existing operating system.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan Old English behabban Middle English behaven English behave From Middle English behaven, bihabben (“to restrain, behave”), from Old English behabban (“to surround, embrace, hold, contain, hold back, withhold, restrain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan, equivalent to be- + have. Cognate with Middle Low German behebben, behāven (“to receive, acquire, reach, keep”), Low German behebben (“to act, behave”), German behaben (“to behave”).
Can be used intransitively to mean 'act correctly' or with an adverb to describe the specific manner of acting.
He behaves himself very goodHe behaves himself very wellBehave is a verb and must be modified by the adverb 'well' rather than the adjective 'good'.