habit
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (6)habits
- an established custom“it was their habit to dine at 7 every evening”Synonyms: wontType of custom, tradition
- (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition“owls have nocturnal habits”“she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”“long use had hardened him to it”Synonyms: useType of custom, usageKinds cleanliness, ritual, second nature
- a distinctive attire worn by a member of a religious orderType of attire, garbKinds nun's habit, frock, monastic habit
- the general form or mode of growth (especially of a plant or crystal)“a shrub of spreading habit”Type of growth, growing
- attire that is typically worn by a horseback rider (especially a woman's attire)Synonyms: riding habitType of attire, garbParts riding boot, jodhpurs
- excessive use of drugsSynonyms: substance abusedrug abuseType of misuse, abuseKinds alcohol abuse, alcoholic abuse
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun an action done on a regular basis
- Spanish
- costumbre
- French
- habitude
- German
- Gewohnheit
- Italian
- abitudine
- Portuguese
- hábito
- Turkish
- alışkanlık
- Russian
- привы́чка privýčka
- Arabic
- عَادَة ʕāda
- Chinese
- 习惯 xíguàn
- Japanese
- 習慣 shūkan
26 more languages
- Dutch
- gewoonte
- Polish
- zwyczaj
- Swedish
- vana
- Greek
- συνήθεια synítheia
- Korean
- 버릇 beoreut
- Indonesian
- kebiasaan
- Vietnamese
- thói quen
- Hungarian
- szokás
- Portuguese (PT)
- hábito
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 習慣 xíguàn
- Albanian
- Zakon
- Catalan
- costum
- Czech
- návyk
- Danish
- vane
- Esperanto
- kutimo
- Finnish
- tapa
- Georgian
- ჩვევა čveva
- Hebrew
- הֶרְגֵּל hergél
- Icelandic
- vani
- Latvian
- ieradums
- Lithuanian
- įprotis
- Norwegian
- vane
- Romanian
- obicei
- Scottish Gaelic
- cleachdadh
- Slovenian
- navada
- Welsh
- cynefindod
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. habit, abit, F. habit, fr. L. habitus state, appearance, dress, fr. habere to have, be in a condition; prob. akin to E. have. See Have, and cf. Able, Binnacle, Debt, Due, Exhibit, Malady.
1. The usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained; as, a religious habit; his habit is morose; elms have a spreading habit; esp., physical temperament or constitution; as, a full habit of body.
2. Biology The general appearance and manner of life of a living organism. Specifically, the tendency of a plant or animal to grow in a certain way; as, the deciduous habit of certain trees.
3. Fixed or established custom; ordinary course of conduct; practice; usage; hence, prominently, the involuntary tendency or aptitude to perform certain actions which is acquired by their frequent repetition; as, habit is second nature; also, peculiar ways of acting; characteristic forms of behavior.
A man of very shy, retired habits.— Washington Irving
4. Outward appearance; attire; dress; hence, a garment; esp., a closely fitting garment or dress worn by ladies; as, a riding habit.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy.— William Shakespeare
There are, among the statues, several of Venus, in different habits.— Joseph Addison
5. Hence: The distinctive clothing worn commonly by nuns or monks; as, in the late 1900's many orders of nuns discarded their habits and began to dress as ordinary lay women.
Synonyms: Practice; mode; manner; way; custom; fashion. — Habit, Custom. Habit is a disposition or tendency leading us to do easily, naturally, and with growing certainty, what we do often; custom is external, being habitual use or the frequent repetition of the same act. The two operate reciprocally on each other. The custom of giving produces a habit of liberality; habits of devotion promote the custom of going to church. Custom also supposes an act of the will, selecting given modes of procedure; habit is a law of our being, a kind of “second nature” which grows up within us.
How use doth breed a habit in a man!— William Shakespeare
He who reigns... upheld by old repute, Consent, or custom— John Milton
Origin: OE. habiten to dwell, F. habiter, fr. L. habitare to have frequently, to dwell, intens. fr. habere to have. See Habit, noun
1. To inhabit. obsolete
In thilke places as they [birds] habiten.— Romaunt of Rose
2. To dress; to clothe; to array.
They habited themselves like those rural deities.— John Dryden
3. To accustom; to habituate. obsolete George Chapman
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC, GCIDE editors