| Habit | pos>n. [ OE. habit, abit, F. habit, fr. L. habitus state, appearance, dress, fr. habere to have, be in a condition; prob. akin to E. have. See Have, and cf. Able, Binnacle, Debt, Due, Exhibit, Malady. ] 1. The usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained; as, a religious habit; his habit is morose; elms have a spreading habit; esp., physical temperament or constitution; as, a full habit of body. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Biol.) The general appearance and manner of life of a living organism. Specifically, the tendency of a plant or animal to grow in a certain way; as, the deciduous habit of certain trees. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ] 3. Fixed or established custom; ordinary course of conduct; practice; usage; hence, prominently, the involuntary tendency or aptitude to perform certain actions which is acquired by their frequent repetition; as, habit is second nature; also, peculiar ways of acting; characteristic forms of behavior. [ 1913 Webster ] A man of very shy, retired habits. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ] 4. Outward appearance; attire; dress; hence, a garment; esp., a closely fitting garment or dress worn by ladies; as, a riding habit. [ 1913 Webster ] Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] There are, among the statues, several of Venus, in different habits. Addison. 5. Hence: The distinctive clothing worn commonly by nuns or monks; as, in the late 1900's many orders of nuns discarded their habits and began to dress as ordinary lay women. [ PJC ] Syn. -- Practice; mode; manner; way; custom; fashion. -- Habit, Custom. Habit is a disposition or tendency leading us to do easily, naturally, and with growing certainty, what we do often; custom is external, being habitual use or the frequent repetition of the same act. The two operate reciprocally on each other. The custom of giving produces a habit of liberality; habits of devotion promote the custom of going to church. Custom also supposes an act of the will, selecting given modes of procedure; habit is a law of our being, a kind of “second nature” which grows up within us. [ 1913 Webster ] How use doth breed a habit in a man! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] He who reigns . . . upheld by old repute,
Consent, or custom Milton. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Habit | v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Habited; p. pr. & vb. n. Habiting. ] [ OE. habiten to dwell, F. habiter, fr. L. habitare to have frequently, to dwell, intens. fr. habere to have. See Habit, n. ] 1. To inhabit. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ] In thilke places as they [ birds ] habiten. Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. To dress; to clothe; to array. [ 1913 Webster ] They habited themselves like those rural deities. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. To accustom; to habituate. [ Obs. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ] |
