something you do regularly, often without thinking, that can be good or bad
Brushing his teeth every night before bed is an important habit.
She has a bad habit of biting her nails whenever she feels nervous at work.
✦ From Latin ‘habitus’ meaning ‘condition, appearance, demeanor’ and later ‘custom, practice’.
a long loose piece of clothing worn by monks or nuns as a sign of their religious order
The monk’s brown habit brushed the stone floor as he walked through the cloister.
During the ceremony, she received the white habit of her order and took her final vows.
✦ Medieval use extended the Latin idea of ‘outward condition’ to describe the distinctive clothing of religious life.
a special suit of clothes worn for a particular activity, especially a woman’s fitted outfit for horse riding
She looked elegant in her navy riding habit as she guided the horse over the jump.
Victorian photographs often show ladies wearing long skirts as part of their riding habits.
✦ By the 17th century, ‘habit’ broadened to mean any distinctive clothing for an activity, such as riding.
the typical form or growth pattern of a plant, animal, or mineral
This cactus has a columnar habit that allows it to store water efficiently.
Botanists classify trees by leaf shape, bark texture, and overall habit.
✦ Scientific writers applied ‘habit’ to plants in the late 18th century to describe their general appearance and way of growing.
to live in a place
Many different animals inhabit the Amazon rainforest.
Ancient humans inhabited caves during the Stone Age.
✦ From Middle English inhabiten, from Old French enhabiter, from Latin inhabitāre, from in- ("in") + habitāre ("to dwell, live").
