Behaved

How to spell behaved

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce behaved

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does behaved mean?

1. verbConducted oneself or acted in a particular manner, especially in a way judged proper or acceptable.

Behaved in a sentence

• The children behaved well throughout the long flight.

• During the interview he behaved with calm confidence.

Where does behaved come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Behaved is the past form of the verb behave, which was assembled in late Middle English around the 1400s from the prefix be-, used here as an intensifier meaning 'thoroughly' or 'about', and the familiar verb have. In this older construction, 'have' carried the sense of holding or bearing oneself in a particular way, so to behave literally meant to 'have oneself' or carry oneself properly. The same idea of 'holding' your conduct survives in the noun behaviour, and you can still hear the link in phrases like 'bear yourself well'. The verb quickly settled into meaning to conduct oneself according to accepted standards, and the past form behaved followed regular English patterns by adding -ed. The spelling trap is small but real: writers sometimes want to double letters or drop the silent e, yet behave simply loses its final e and takes -ed to make behaved.

How the word is built

• be- (intensive/thoroughly)
• have (to hold, bear oneself)
• -ed (past tense/participle suffix)