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behaviour

[ bih-heyv-yer ]

noun

, Chiefly British.


behaviour

/ bɪˈheɪvjə /

noun

  1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself
  2. on one's best behaviour
    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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Spelling Note

See -or 1.

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Derived Forms

  • beˈhavioural, adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of behaviour1

C15: from behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have

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Example Sentences

It demands only that judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.”

Judges, they wrote, “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.”

But there is more to this behaviour than intentional amnesia.

How from now on we were going to be seeing in Prince Harry nothing but a model of discretion, seriousness and best behaviour?

Such behaviour in another part of Europe would have meant their certain death.

Without preface, he abruptly asked, what had been told him of the Duke of Wharton's behaviour the preceding night.

I need not inquire whether his dismal behaviour was natural or assumed.

No one, apparently, took the slightest notice of his absurdly wild behaviour.

What pleased me most was, that both the dress and behaviour of the military young ladies were highly becoming.

On all other points it becomes a fair war risk to presume upon their happy-go-lucky behaviour.

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inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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