Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “behaving” come from?

behaving (English) comes from English behave, from Middle English behaven, from Old English behabban, from Proto-Germanic *bihabbjan.

behaving (English): present participle of behave; behaviour

Definitions

  1. present participle of behave; behaviour

Ancestry of “behaving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbehaveTo conduct well, or in a given way; To act,...
2Middle Englishbehaven—
3Old Englishbehabbanto surround or embrace something; to hold or...
4Proto-Germanic*bihabbjan—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *bihabbjan →