HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
n. 1. a. A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition: made a habit of going to bed early. b. An established disposition of the mind or character: a pessimistic habit. c. Customary manner or practice: an early riser by habit. d. An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug. 2. Characteristic appearance, form, or manner of growth, especially of a plant or crystal: "The habit of an apple tree is fine for the small garden" (Robert Dash). 3. a. A distinctive set of clothing or style of dressing, especially of a religious order. b. A riding habit. 4. Archaic Physical constitution. tr.v. hab·it·ed, hab·it·ing, hab·its 1. To clothe; dress. 2. To clothe in a habit, especially a nun's habit. [Middle English, clothing, from Old French, clothing, behavior, custom, from Latin habitus, from past participle of habēre, to have; see ghabh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: habit, practice, custom, wont These nouns denote patterns of behavior established by continual repetition. Habit applies to a behavior or practice so ingrained that it is often done without conscious thought: "Habit rules the unreflecting herd" (William Wordsworth). Practice denotes an often chosen pattern of individual or group behavior: "You will find it a very good practice always to verify your references, sir" (Martin Joseph Routh). Custom is behavior as established by long practice and especially by accepted conventions: "No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion" (Carrie Chapman Catt). Wont refers to a customary and distinctive practice: "Miss Roxy sat bolt upright, as was her wont" (Harriet Beecher Stowe). |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
