Where does “behaviour” come from?

Behaviour comes from Middle English behaven, meaning to bear or conduct oneself, with origins ultimately traceable to Old French and Germanic roots meaning to have or bear.

behaviour (English): The way a living creature behaves or acts; The...

Definitions

  1. The way a living creature behaves or acts; The...

Ancestry of “behaviour”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iourSuffix added to verbs to form nouns; Alternative...
2English-our
3Middle English-our
4Old French-eorAlternative form of -or
5Latin-ator-ator, -er; second-person singular future passive...
6Latin-tor-er
7Proto-Italic-tōrForms agent nouns to verb stems
8Proto-Indo-European-tōrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
9Proto-Indo-European-tor-s

Words derived from “behaviour

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tor-sEvery word from Latin -torEvery word from Middle English -our
behaviour — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer