behavior
n. C / Un. the way a person, animal, or thing acts. You often talk about good or bad behavior when describing how someone follows the rules.
n. the way in which a person, organism, or system conducts itself, especially in response to a particular situation or stimulus.
His behavior at school is usually very good.
The teacher praises the students for their excellent behavior during the long museum trip.
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to identify and alter maladaptive patterns of thought that drive destructive behavior in high-stress environments.
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 Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old French avoirbor. Middle English havour Middle English behavoure English behavior From Middle English behavoure, behaver, from behaven (modern behave), with the ending apparently in imitation of havour (see 'havior), a corruption of Old French aveir and/or avoir (“a having”), ultimately from Latin habēre. Compare Scots havings (“behavior”), from have (“to behave”). Replaced Old English ġebǣru.
Uncountable in general contexts; countable when referring to specific actions or patterns in scientific study.