Archaic or dialectal: to behave or conduct oneself in a certain manner.
Shortened or dialectal form of 'behave,' from Middle English behaven, be- + haven (from Old French havir or Germanic 'have'). The verb originally meant 'to have or conduct oneself.'
Behav is basically a fossil—it shows up in old texts as a shortened form of 'behave,' but modern English speakers prefer the full form, showing how language naturally gravitates toward clarity and full pronunciation over abbreviations.
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