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Webster 1913 Edition

Demean

De-mean′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Demeaned
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Demeaning
.]
[OF.
demener
to conduct, guide, manage, F.
se démener
to struggle; pref.
dé-
(L.
de
) +
mener
to lead, drive, carry on, conduct, fr. L.
minare
to drive animals by threatening cries, fr.
minari
to threaten. See
Menace
.]
1.
To manage; to conduct; to treat.
[Our] clergy have with violence
demeaned
the matter.
Milton.
2.
To conduct; to behave; to comport; – followed by the reflexive pronoun.
They have
demeaned
themselves
Like men born to renown by life or death.
Shakespeare
They answered . . . that they should
demean
themselves according to their instructions.
Clarendon.
3.
To debase; to lower; to degrade; – followed by the reflexive pronoun.
Her son would
demean
himself by a marriage with an artist’s daughter.
Thackeray.
☞ This sense is probably due to a false etymology which regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean.

De-mean′

,
Noun.
[OF.
demene
. See
Demean
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Management; treatment.
[Obs.]
Vile
demean
and usage bad.
Spenser.
2.
Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor.
[Obs.]
With grave
demean
and solemn vanity.
West.

De-mean′

,
Noun.
[See
Demesne
.]
1.
Demesne.
[Obs.]
2.
pl.
Resources; means.
[Obs.]
You know
How narrow our
demeans
are.
Massinger.

Webster 1828 Edition

Demean

DEMEAN

, v.t.
1.
To behave; to carry; to conduct; with the reciprocal pronoun; as, it is our duty to demean ourselves with humility.
2.
To treat.

DEMEAN

,
Verb.
T.
To debase; to undervalue.

DEMEAN

,
Noun.
1.
Behavior; carriage; demeanor.
2.
Mien.

Definition 2024

demean

demean

English

Verb

demean ‎(third-person singular simple present demeans, present participle demeaning, simple past and past participle demeaned)

  1. To debase; to lower; to degrade.
    • Thackeray
      Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter.
  2. To humble, humble oneself; to humiliate.
  3. To mortify.

Translations

Synonyms

Etymology 2

From Middle English demenen, demeinen, from Anglo-Norman demener, from Old French demener, from de- + mener ‎(“to conduct, lead”), from Vulgar Latin *mināre ‎(“to drive”) and Latin minārī ‎(“to threaten”).

Verb

demean ‎(third-person singular simple present demeans, present participle demeaning, simple past and past participle demeaned)

  1. To manage; to conduct; to treat.
    • Milton
      [Our] clergy have with violence demeaned the matter.
  2. To conduct; to behave; to comport; followed by the reflexive pronoun.
    • Shakespeare
      They have demeaned themselves / Like men born to renown by life or death.
    • Clarendon
      They answered […] that they should demean themselves according to their instructions.
Translations

Noun

demean ‎(usually uncountable, plural demeans)

  1. (archaic) Management; treatment.
    • Spenser
      vile demean and usage bad
  2. (archaic) Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.5:
      ‘When thou hast all this doen, then bring me newes / Of his demeane […].’
    • West
      with grave demean and solemn vanity
Translations

Related terms

Etymology 3

Variant of demesne.

Noun

demean ‎(plural demeans)

  1. demesne.
  2. resources; means.
Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

(1595) From de- +‎ mean ‎(“lowly, base, common”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of imene ‎(“mean, base, common”), from Old English ġemǣne ‎(“mean, common”). Compare English bemean.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈmiːn/
  • Rhymes: -iːn

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