Habit

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Habit \Hab"it\ (h[a^]b"[i^]t) 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.
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              A man of very shy, retired habits.    --W. Irving.
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     4. Outward appearance; attire; dress; hence, a garment; esp.,
        a closely fitting garment or dress worn by ladies; as, a
        riding habit.
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              Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy. --Shak.
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              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.
  
     Usage: {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.
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                  How use doth breed a habit in a man! --Shak.
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                  He who reigns . . . upheld by old repute,
                  Consent, or custom                --Milton.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Habit \Hab"it\ (h[a^]b"[i^]t), 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.]
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              In thilke places as they [birds] habiten. --Rom. of
                                                    R.
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     2. To dress; to clothe; to array.
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              They habited themselves like those rural deities.
                                                    --Dryden.
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     3. To accustom; to habituate. [Obs.]           --Chapman.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  habit
       n 1: an established custom; "it was their habit to dine at 7
            every evening" [syn: {wont}]
       2: a pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition;
          "she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair"; "long use
          had hardened him to it" [syn: {use}, {wont}]
       3: (religion) a distinctive attire (as the costume of a
          religious order)
       4: excessive use of drugs [syn: {substance abuse}, {drug abuse}]
       v : put a habit on

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  168 Moby Thesaurus words for "habit":
     a habit, accouter, acquired tolerance, acute alcoholism,
     addictedness, addiction, alcoholism,
     amphetamine withdrawal symptoms, apparel, array, attire, attitude,
     automatism, bad habit, barbiturate addiction, barbiturism,
     bedizenment, bent, bib and tucker, body-build, brand, caparison,
     cast, chain smoking, character, characteristic, characteristics,
     chronic alcoholism, clothes, clothing, cocainism, complexion,
     composition, compulsion, constituents, constitution, convention,
     costume, crash, crasis, craving, creature of habit, custom,
     dependence, dharma, diathesis, dipsomania, disguise, disposition,
     drapery, dress, dressing, drug addiction, drug culture,
     drug dependence, duds, equip, ethos, fashion, fatigues, feathers,
     fiber, fig, fit, fit out, force of habit, frame, frame of mind,
     frock, garb, garments, gear, genius, grain, guise, habiliment,
     habiliments, habit pattern, habituation, habitude, hue, humor,
     humors, idiosyncrasy, ilk, inclination, investiture, investment,
     kind, linen, livery, makeup, manner, mannerism, masquerade,
     minauderie, mode, mold, nature, nicotine addiction, outfit,
     pattern, peculiar trait, peculiarity, penchant,
     physical dependence, physique, policy, practice, praxis,
     predisposition, proclivity, propensity, property,
     psychological dependence, quality, quirk, rags, raiment, regalia,
     rig, rig out, rig up, robes, routine, rule, second nature,
     somatotype, sort, spirit, sportswear, stamp, stereotype,
     stereotyped behavior, streak, stripe, style, suchness, suit,
     system, temper, temperament, tendency, tenor, threads, togs,
     toilette, tolerance, tone, trademark, trick, trick of behavior,
     trim, turn out, type, uniform, usage, use, vein, vestment,
     vestments, vesture, way, wear, wearing apparel,
     withdrawal sickness, withdrawal symptoms, wont
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  HABIT, n.  A shackle for the free.