behaviour

See also behavior

English

Alternative forms

• behavior (US)
• behavoure, behavier, behaver, behavor, behavour (obsolete)

Etymology

From behave +‎ -iour, apparently in simulation of haviour, havior, havour. Compare Scots havings (“behaviour”), from have (“to behave”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪviə(ɹ)

Noun

behaviour (plural behaviours) (UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand)

1. The way a living creature behaves or acts.
2. The way a device or system operates.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "behavior" include: 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, aggresive, offensive, defensive, rude, stupid, undesirable, verbal, nonverbal, learned, professional, unprofessional, adaptive, compulsive, questionable, assertive, disgusting, self-destructive.

Related terms

behave behaved behavioural behaviouralism behaviouralist

behaviourism behaviourist behaviouristic behaviour pattern behavioural science

Derived terms

• human behaviour

Translations

way an animal or human behaves or acts

• Arabic: سلوك (ar) (suluuk) m
• Bengali: আচরণ (bn) (acôrôn)
• Bulgarian: поведение (bg) n (povedenie), държание (bg) n (dǎržanie)
• Catalan: conducta (ca) f, comportament (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行為 (cmn), 行为 (cmn) (xíngwéi)

• Czech: chování (cs) n, jednání (cs) n
• Dutch: gedrag (nl) n, gedragingen (nl) pl
• Esperanto: konduto (eo)
• Finnish: käytös (fi), käyttäytyminen (fi)
• French: comportement (fr)
• German: Verhalten (de) n, Benehmen (de) n, Betragen (de) n
• Greek: συμπεριφορά (el) (symperiforá) f 
• Hebrew: התנהגות (hitnahagut) f
• Hindi: बर्ताव (hi) (bartāv)

• Interlingua: comportamento (ia)
• Italian: comportamento (it)
• Japanese: 振る舞い (ja) (ふるまい, furumai), 行儀 (ja) (ぎょうぎ, gyōgi), 行動 (ja) (こうどう, kōdō)
• Korean: 행위 (ko) (haeng-wi) (行爲 (ko)), 행동 (ko) (haengdong) (行動 (ko))
• Latin: actio (la), actus (la)
• Maori: whanonga (mi)
• Polish: zachowanie n
• Portuguese: comportamento (pt) m
• Russian: поведение (ru) (povedénije) n 
• Spanish: comportamiento (es) m, conducta (es) f
• Swedish: beteende (sv) n
• Telugu: ప్రవర్తన (pravartana)
• Tok Pisin: pasin (tpi)

the way matter moves or acts

• Arabic: سلوك (sulú:k)
• Bengali: আচরণ (bn) (acôrôn)
• Breton: emzalc'h m, doare d'ober m
• Bulgarian: поведение (bg) (povedénie) n 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行爲 (cmn), 行为 (cmn) (xíngwéi)

• Czech: chování (cs) n
• Danish: opførsel (da) c
• Dutch: gedrag n, gedragingen f pl
• Finnish: käytös (fi), käyttäytyminen (fi)
• French: comportement (fr) m, conduite (fr) f
• German: Verhalten n, Betragen n, Benehmen n, Verhaltensweise f, Führung f
• Greek: συμπεριφορά (el) (symperiforá) f 
• Hebrew: התנהגות (hitnahagut) f
• Indonesian: tingkah laku, perilaku, sifat, kebiasaan

• Italian: comportamento (it) m, condotta (it) f
• Japanese: 振舞い (ふるまい, furumai), 行儀 (ぎょうぎ, gyōgi), 行動 (こうどう, kōdō), 反応 (はんのう, hannō)
• Korean: 행동 (haengdong)
• Maltese: mġieba
• Polish: zachowanie n, postępowanie n, maniery pl
• Portuguese: comportamento (pt) m
• Romanian: comportare (ro) f, comportament (ro) n, purtare (ro) f
• Russian: поведение (ru) (povedénije) n 
• Scottish Gaelic: dol a-mach (gd) m, giùlan (gd) m
• Spanish: comportamiento (es) m
• Swahili: tabia (sw)
• Swedish: beteende (sv) n
• Telugu: ప్రవర్తన (pravartana), నడత, (naData)
• Turkish: davranış (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: سلوك (sulú:k)
• Breton: emzalc'h m, doare d'ober m
• French: comportement m
• German: Verhalten n, Betragen n, Benehmen n, Verhaltensweise f, Führung f
• Hungarian: magatartás, viselkedés
• Indonesian: tingkah laku, perilaku, sifat, kebiasaan

• Italian: comportamento m
• Japanese: 振舞い (ふるまい, furumai), 行儀 (ぎょうぎ, gyōgi), 行動 (こうどう, kōdō), 反応 (はんのう, hannō)
• Korean: 행동 (haengdong)
• Lithuanian: elgesys m
• Spanish: comportamiento m
• Swedish: beteende (sv) n, uppförande (sv)
• Turkish: davranış