behave. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

behave

SYLLABICATION:	be·have
PRONUNCIATION:	b-hv
VERB:	Inflected forms: be·haved, be·hav·ing, be·haves
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	1a. To conduct oneself in a specified way: The child behaved badly at the party. b. To conduct oneself in a proper way: I told the child to behave. 2. To act, react, function, or perform in a particular way: This fabric behaves well even in hot weather.
TRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To conduct (oneself) properly: Did you behave yourself at the party? 2. To conduct (oneself) in a specified way: The witness behaved herself with great calmness.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English behaven : be-, be- + haven, to have; see have.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.