late 15c., demenure, "conduct, management, treatment, behavior toward someone," from obsolete Middle English demean, demeinen "to handle, manage, conduct," later "behave in a certain way, conduct oneself" (early 14c.), from Old French demener (11c.) "to guide, conduct; to live, dwell," from de- "completely" (see de-) + mener "to lead, direct," from Latin minari "to threaten," in Late Latin "to drive (a herd of animals);" see menace (n.). Meaning "behavior, bearing, deportment" is from late 15c. Spelling changed by influence of nouns in -or, -our.
late 15c., "a dweller, a resident," from Old French habitant, abitant "inhabitant," from noun use of Latin habitantis, genitive plural of habitans, present participle of habitare "to live, inhabit, dwell," frequentative of habere "to have, to hold, possess" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). Specific meaning "a native Canadian of French descent" attested by 1789; it was the usual word for small farmers in 18c. Quebec, and Bartlett (1848) describes habitan as an Americanism for "The lower class of Canadians of French origin."
Intransitive sense of "delay going, depart slowly and unwillingly" is from 1520s. Meaning "remain long in sickness, be near death for a time" is from 1530s. It shares verbal duties with long, prolong, lengthen. Related: Lingered; lingerer; lingering.
by 1650s, of land, "till, prepare for crops;" by 1690s of crops, "raise or produce by tillage;" from Medieval Latin cultivatus, past participle of cultivare "to cultivate," from Late Latin cultivus "tilled," from Latin cultus "care, labor; cultivation," from past participle of colere "to cultivate, to till; to inhabit; to frequent, practice, respect; tend, guard," from PIE root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round; sojourn, dwell."
Figurative sense of "improve by labor or study, devote one's attention to" is from 1680s. Meaning "court the acquaintance of (someone)" is by 1707. Related: Cultivated; cultivating.
It forms all or part of: accolade; ancillary; atelo-; bazaar; bicycle; bucolic; chakra; chukker; collar; collet; colonial; colony; cult; cultivate; culture; cyclamen; cycle; cyclo-; cyclone; cyclops; decollete; encyclical; encyclopedia; entelechy; epicycle; hauberk; hawse; inquiline; Kultur; lapidocolous; nidicolous; palimpsest; palindrome; palinode; pole (n.2) "ends of Earth's axis;" pulley; rickshaw; talisman; teleology; telic; telophase; telos; torticollis; wheel.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit cakram "circle, wheel," carati "he moves, wanders;" Avestan caraiti "applies himself," c'axra "chariot, wagon;" Greek kyklos "circle, wheel, any circular body, circular motion, cycle of events,"polos "a round axis" (PIE *kw- becomes Greek p- before some vowels), polein "move around;" Latin colere "to frequent, dwell in, to cultivate, move around," cultus "tended, cultivated," hence also "polished," colonus "husbandman, tenant farmer, settler, colonist;" Lithuanian kelias "a road, a way;" Old Norse hvel, Old English hweol "wheel;" Old Church Slavonic kolo, Old Russian kolo, Polish koło, Russian koleso "a wheel."
From late 14c. as "to dwell, live; to have temporary accommodations; to provide (someone) with sleeping quarters; to get lodgings." Sense of "plant, implant, get (a spear, bullet, fist, etc.) in the intended place, to make something stick" is from 1610s. Meaning "deposit" (a complaint, etc.) with an official" is from 1708. Related: Lodged; lodging.
Modern spelling developed after mid-14c. Sense of "leafy arbor" (place closed in, shaded, or sheltered by trees) is first attested 1520s. Hence, too, Australia's bower-bird (1847), so called for the ornamented play-houses it builds.
