habit

/ˈha-bət/

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin habitus condition, character, from habēre to have, hold

noun

  1. a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior

  2. an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary

  3. addiction

her habit of taking a morning walk

habit practice usage custom wont mean a way of acting fixed through repetition. habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively. practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

verb

  1. to cover with or as if with clothing : clothe

… she habited herself in a peculiarly becoming dress of white linen …

adjective

  1. inducing the formation of an addiction

a habit-forming drug