habitual (adj.) (hab)

A term used in the GRAMMATICAL analysis of ASPECT, referring to a situation in which an action is viewed as lasting for an extended period of time. English has a habitual aspect in the past TENSE, using used to, and habitual meaning is often expressed LEXICALLY, using ADVERBIALS (e.g. often, frequently). Many habitual uses express repeated action (I visit my aunt regularly), and in this function are often described as ITERATIVE, but the habitual is often non-iterative, as in A castle used to stand at the top of that cliff.