habit

HAB-it/ˈhæb.ɪt/

Pluralhabits

Verbhabits, habiting, habited

9 meanings of habit

Practice

1
nouncountable
Something you do over and over without thinking about it.
Like a path worn into the grass that gets easier to walk each time.
Biting your nails is a bad habit that's hard to break.
She has a habit of tapping her pen whenever she thinks.
Similarreflex, routine, practice, tendency
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2
nouncountable
Something you do regularly as part of your normal life.
Like brushing your teeth each night without ever skipping a day.
Reading before bed is a habit in our family.
He made a habit of calling his grandmother every Sunday.
Similarroutine, ritual, wont
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3
nouncountable
A strong need for something, like a drug, that is hard to stop.
Like a hunger that keeps coming back until you feed it.
He spent all his money feeding his drug habit.
She finally kicked her smoking habit after twenty years.
Similaraddiction, dependence, dependency
Note
4
nouncountable
A long robe worn by monks and nuns.
Like a uniform that shows a person belongs to a religious group.
The nun wore a simple black habit.
His brown habit reached almost to the floor.
Similarrobe
5
nouncountable
Special clothing worn for one kind of activity, like a uniform.
Like a special outfit you put on only for one sport or job.
She put on her riding habit before going to the stables.
His hunting habit was made of thick green wool.
Similaroutfit, attire, costume, uniform, dress
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6
nouncountable
The general shape and the way a plant or crystal grows and looks.
Like how an oak spreads wide while a poplar grows tall and thin.
This pine has a tall, narrow growth habit.
The mineral forms crystals with a cubic habit.
Similarform, shape
Note
7
verbtransitive
To put clothes on someone.
Like dressing a doll in a new set of clothes.
The monastery would habit each new member in plain robes.
They habit the children in warm coats before the walk.
Similargarb
Oppositeundress, strip
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Less common meanings

8
nounarchaiccountable
A person's outward look and the clothes they wear.
Like how someone's clothes can tell you about them at first glance.
Her plain habit and quiet manner made her seem older than she was.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy.
c. 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”Here, habit means clothes and outward look.
Note
9
verbarchaictransitive
To live in or occupy a place.
Like wild animals that make a forest their home.
Wild deer habit these woods in great numbers.
Strange creatures were said to habit the dark caves.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–3

From Latin habitus, meaning condition, bearing, or dress, from habeo 'I have or hold'. It came into English through Middle English.

Meanings 4–9

From Latin habitare 'to dwell', which came from habeo 'I have or hold'. English got it through Old French and Middle English.