habit

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.
2. n. An established disposition of the mind or character.
3. n. Customary manner or practice: a person of ascetic habits.
4. n. An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug.
5. n. Physical constitution.
6. n. Characteristic appearance, form, or manner of growth, especially of a plant or crystal.
7. n. A distinctive dress or costume, especially of a religious order.
8. n. A riding habit.
9. v. To clothe; dress.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A usual or characteristic state or condition; natural condition, attitude, appearance, or development; customary mode of being. Specifically— A characteristic or particular physical state or condition: as, a full, lax, or costive habit of body; a man of spare habit.
2. n. A usual or customary mode of action; particularly, a mode of action so established by use as to be entirely natural, involuntary, instinctive, unconscious, uncontrollable, etc.: used especially of the action, whether physical, mental, or moral, of living beings, but also, by extension, of that of inanimate things; hence, in general, custom; usage; also, a natural or more generally an acquired proclivity, disposition, or tendency to act in a certain way.
3. n. In logic, a character which can be separated from its subject, without the destruction of the latter.
4. n. External dress; particularly, the costume or dress regularly worn, or appropriate for a particular occasion, use, or vocation.
5. n. A costume worn by women when riding on horseback; a riding-habit. This, until a recent date (perhaps 1870), had a very long full skirt of cloth which it was customary to pin or otherwise fasten below the feet of the wearer when mounted. The habit used at present is much shorter, and close-fitting. The edge or hem of the skirt is sometimes loaded.
6. n. The grade marked by this dress. Entering this grade involves almost entire seclusion from earthly things, and constant devotion to religious exercises. Most Oriental monks do not assume the great habit except at the approach of death, the greater number being vowed to the little habit only.
7. n. In Scotland, general report: as, by habit and repute a thief.
8. n. The grade marked by this dress. Those who wish to enter this grade have first to pass through the rhasophoria or novitiate. See great habit.
9. To dwell; abide; reside.
10. 1. To dwell in; inhabit.
11. To fix by custom; accustom; habituate.
12. To dress; clothe; array.
13. n. In petrography, the general appearance of a rock given by the texture and the mode, that is, the mineral composition. Rocks may have the same habit and not agree closely in composition.
14. n. A small piece of linen attached to a woman's collar at the back, designed to go under the neck of the dress and keep the collar in place.

Wiktionary

1. v. To clothe.
2. v. archaic To inhabit.
3. n. An action done on a regular basis.
4. n. An action performed repeatedly and automatically, usually without awareness.
5. n. A long piece of clothing worn by monks and nuns.
6. n. A piece of clothing worn uniformly for a specific activity.
7. n. Customary manner of dress.
8. n. An addiction.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained; ; esp., physical temperament or constitution.
2. n. (Biol.) The general appearance and manner of life of a living organism.
3. n. Fixed or established custom; ordinary course of conduct; practice; usage; hence, prominently, the involuntary tendency or aptitude to perform certain actions which is acquired by their frequent repetition; ; also, peculiar ways of acting; characteristic forms of behavior.
4. n. Outward appearance; attire; dress; hence, a garment; esp., a closely fitting garment or dress worn by ladies.
5. n. The distinctive clothing worn commonly by nuns or monks.
6. v. obsolete To inhabit.
7. v. To dress; to clothe; to array.
8. v. obsolete To accustom; to habituate.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an established custom
2. n. attire that is typically worn by a horseback rider (especially a woman's attire)
3. n. the general form or mode of growth (especially of a plant or crystal)
4. v. put a habit on
5. n. excessive use of drugs
6. n. a distinctive attire worn by a member of a religious order
7. n. (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition