behave: [15] To ‘behave oneself’ originally meant literally to ‘have oneself in a particular way’ – have being used here in the sense ‘hold’ or ‘comport’. The be- is an intensive prefix. Of particular interest is the way in which the word preserves in aspic the 15th-century pronunciation of have in stressed contexts. For much of its history behave has been used with reference to a person’s bearing and public dignity (‘He was some years a Captain, and behaved himself with great gallantry in several engagements’, Richard Steele, Spectator Number 2, 1711), and the modern connotations of propriety, of ‘goodness’ versus ‘naughtiness’, are a relatively recent, 19th-century development.
The noun behaviour [15] was formed on analogy with the verb from an earlier haviour, a variant of aver ‘possession’ [14], from the nominal use of the Old French verb aveir ‘have’. => have
behave (v.)
early 15c., from be- intensive prefix + have in sense of "to have or bear (oneself) in a particular way, comport" (compare German sich behaben, French se porter). Cognate Old English compound behabban meant "to contain," and alternatively the modern sense of behave might have evolved from behabban via a notion of "self-restraint." Related: Behaved; behaving.
雙語例句
1. The aim of discipline is to teach children to behave acceptably.
紀(jì)律的目的是教育兒童舉止得體。
來自柯林斯例句
2. I'll behave toward them as I would like to be treated.
我會以希望別人對待我的方式來對待他們。
來自柯林斯例句
3. It is shocking that humans can behave with such bestiality towards others.
令人震驚的是，人竟然能對同類下此毒手。
來自柯林斯例句
4. It's incredible that Peter can behave with such stupid lack of feeling.
彼得行事如此麻木不仁，真是難以置信。
來自柯林斯例句
5. Under certain conditions, electrons can behave like waves rather than particles.