Behave

How to spell behave

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce behave

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does behave mean?

1. verbTo act or conduct oneself, especially in a proper or acceptable manner.

Behave in a sentence

• The manager expected every employee to behave professionally during the audit.

• The children promised to behave while their grandparents visited.

Where does behave come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Behave appears in English around the 1400s as a compound of the prefix be-, used here as an intensifier, and the verb have, which in this older sense meant 'to hold' or 'to conduct oneself'. The underlying idea is that of holding or carrying oneself in a particular way, so to behave was originally 'to have or hold oneself' rightly. The verb have itself descends from Old English habban, a thoroughly Germanic word for possessing or holding. Over time the reflexive notion of 'holding oneself well' narrowed so that, used absolutely, behave came to mean specifically to act with good manners. The spelling stays transparent once you see the everyday word 'have' sitting inside it, which is the easiest hook for getting the ending right.

How the word is built

• be- (intensive prefix)
• have (to hold oneself, conduct oneself)