Meaning
Of or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.
Etymology
Origin: Middle English
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English habitual (“of one's inherent disposition”), from Medieval Latin habituālis (“customary; habitual”), from Latin habitus (“character; disposition; habit; physical or emotional condition; attire, dress”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as habit + -ual. Habitus is derived from habeō (“to have; to hold; to own; to possess”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). The noun is derived from the adjective.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
perennialrepeatingrepetitioushabitualmonotonousrecurrentrecurringrepetitionalrepetitionaryrepetitive
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles, including a pangram: