Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for BE-HAVE'
BE-HAVE', v.t. [G. gehaben; Sax. gehabban, and behabban; be and have.]
- To restrain; to govern; to subdue. [The Saxon sense of the word.] He did behave his anger ere 'twas spent. – Shak. This sense is obsolete. Yet it often seems to be implied; for to behave one's self, is really to govern one's self; to have in command.
- To carry; to conduct; used with the reciprocal pronoun; as, he behaves himself manfully. But the tendency of modern usage is to omit the pronoun; as, he behaves well.
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