English → Latin
“behavior” in Latin
mōsway or manner (of behaving); behavior; conduct; custom; habit; practice; usage; wont; character; disposition; inclinatiogerōto carry, bear; to manage, conduct (e.g., one's affairs); to rule, governdecorelegance, grace; beauty, charmdecushonor, distinction, glory; pride, dignity; grace, splendor, ornament, beautydecetto adorn; to be decent, suitable, seemly, or properurbānitāsAn instance of living in the city; city life.; City fashions or manners; refinement, politeness, courtesy, urbanity, sopēlegānsfine, elegant, handsome; tasteful; fastidious, criticalimprobitāswickedness, dishonesty, improbity; shamelessness, depravity
The English word behavior itself goes back to Latin habeō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
behavior
vivendi ratio, or from context, ratio alone: mores: good behavior, morum probitas: bad behavior, mali mores; morum perversitas; improbitas: what sort of behavior is that? quid istic mos est? The young woman’s behavior is somewhat, or too, light, ingenium liberius quam virginem decet (Liv.): behavior toward anybody, ratio qua quis utitur adversus aliquem: good behavior, boni mores, vita bene morata; urbanitas humanitas: unassuming, modest behavior, modestia: unbecoming, improper behavior, impudentia: obliging behavior, liberalitas; officium: attentive behavior, observantia: proud, insolent, haughty behavior, superbia, insolentia: to be bound to one’s good behavior, ad bene se gerendum obligari: to be on one’s behavior to anyone, observare aliquem.
Air, bearing, habitus, gestus: a noble behavior, ad dignitatem apposita forma et species: in the motion of the body, dignitas motus.
Elegance, gracefulness, decor, decorum, decentia; urbanitas, politior humanitas; elegantia.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for behavior?
- The usual Latin words for “behavior” are mōs, gerō, decor; also decus, decet, urbānitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.