behavior

• behaviour (British)
• behavoure, behavier, behavor, behavour (all obsolete)

From Middle English behavoure, behaver, from behave, with -ior apparently in imitation of English havior, haviour, havour. Compare Scots havings (“behavior”), from have (“to behave”). Displaced Old English ġebǣru.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɪˈheɪvjɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɪˈheɪvjə/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -eɪvjə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: be‧ha‧vior

behavior (usually uncountable, plural behaviors) (American spelling)

1. (uncountable) Human conduct relative to social norms.
   • 2014 September 23, A teacher, “Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents”, in The Guardian:

     Teachers will probably be on their best behaviour for your visit – but don't be upset if they don't even notice you; they've got enough going on.

2. (uncountable) The way a living creature behaves or acts generally.
3. (uncountable, informal) A state of probation about one's conduct.

   He was on his best behavior when her family visited.

4. (countable) An instance of the way a living creature behaves.
5. (countable, uncountable, biology, psychology) Observable response produced by an organism.
6. (uncountable) The way a device or system operates.

• Adjectives often applied to "behavior": human, animal, physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, organizational, corporate, social, collective, parental, interpersonal, sexual, criminal, appropriate, inappropriate, correct, incorrect, right, wrong, good, bad, acceptable, unacceptable, poor, ethical, unethical, moral, immoral, responsible, irresponsible, normal, odd, deviant, abnormal, violent, abusive, aggressive, offensive, defensive, rude, stupid, undesirable, verbal, nonverbal, learned, professional, unprofessional, adaptive, compulsive, questionable, assertive, disgusting, self-destructive, surreal.

• behave

• "behavior" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 43.
• “behavior”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “behavior”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.