habit

habit · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰeh₁bʰ-
2. Proto-Indo-European*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti
3. Proto-Italic*haβēō
4. Latinhabeō
5. Latinhabitus
6. Middle Englishhabit
7. English todayhabit

From Middle English habit, from Latin habitus (“condition, bearing, state, appearance, dress, attire”), from habeō (“to have, hold, keep”). Distantly related to gift. Replaced Middle English abit, from Old French abit, itself from the same Latin source. Displaced native Old English þēaw, wuna, ġewuna, and sidu.

habit · verb, noun²

1. Latin · derived fromhabitāre“to dwell, abide, keep”
2. Old French · derived fromhabiter
3. Middle English · inherited fromhabiten
4. English todayhabit

From Middle English habiten, from Old French habiter, from Latin habitāre (“to dwell, abide, keep”), frequentative of habeō (“to have, hold, keep”); see have.

Words from the same roots