Origin: 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 forms
be·hav·ior·al, adjective
be·hav·ior·al·ly, adverb
in·ter·be·hav·ior, noun
in·ter·be·hav·ior·al, adjective
in·ter·be·hav·ior·al·ly, adverb
Synonyms 1. demeanor, manners; bearing, carriage. 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.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.