Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

behavior

/bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.69 in modern English

Syllables
be-ha-vior
IPA
/bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Human conduct relative to social norms.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

An inappropriate or forbidden action.

American usage; Countable

noun

The way or manner a living creature behaves or acts generally.

American usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A state of probation about one's conduct.

American usage; Informal; Uncountable

noun

An observable response produced by an organism.

American usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

The way a device or system operates.

American usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- substratebor.? 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-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti 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), morphologically equivalent to behave + -ior. The suffix was adopted in imitation of havour (modern haviour, havior), an etymologically unrelated word that was corrupted from Anglo‐Norman Anglo-Norman aveir and Old French Old French avoir (“property, wealth”) through false association with the native English verb have. The French term derives ultimately from Latin Latin habēre (“to have, hold”). Compare Scots havings (“behavior”), from have (“to behave”). Replaced Old English ġebǣru.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ/
  • British English: /bɪˈheɪ.vjə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

behaviors (plural) behaviour (alternative, UK) behavoure (alternative, obsolete) behavier (alternative, obsolete) behavor (alternative, obsolete) behavour (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

behavioral behavioralism behavioralist behaviorceutical behavioreme behaviorism behaviorist behavioristic behaviormetric behaviormetrics behaviorwise eigenbehavior

Phrases

behavioral science behavior pattern body-focused repetitive behavior disorder dialectical behavior therapy disordered money behavior health behavior human behavior ideal-seeking behavior

Frequently Paired Words

behave

Synonyms

comportment conduct demeanor deportment behaviour doings demeanour

Rhymes With

behaviour savior xavier misbehavior havior

Questions

How do you pronounce behavior?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ/.
What does behavior mean?
Human conduct relative to social norms.
Where does behavior come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce behavior

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “behavior”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɪˈheɪ.vjəɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “behavior”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “behavior” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.