Habitus
/ˈhæbɪtəs/noun
A person's customary appearance, manner, or ingrained disposition; in sociology, a system of durable habits and perceptions shaped by social life.
Did you know?In medieval Latin, habitus could mean both a state of being and a robe or dress, because what you wear was thought to reveal the condition you inhabit.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰeh₁bʰ-
“to take hold of, hold, or have”
Latin
Latin
habēre
“to have, hold, possess”
Classical Latin
Latin
habitus
“state, condition, bearing, appearance; also dress or attire”
Medieval Latin
Latin
habitus
“condition, demeanor, habit; also a robe or garment”
Modern English
English
habitus
“An embodied set of dispositions or a characteristic way of carrying oneself”