4 entries under this word
v. t. [imp. & p. p. DEMEANED; p. pr. & vb. n. DEMEANING.] [O. Fr. demener, demesner, Pr. demener, It. dimenare, from de and Fr. mener, Pr. & O. Sp. mener, It. menare, to lead, drive, carry on, conduct, from Lat. minare, to drive animals by threatening cries, from minari, to threaten.] To manage; to conduct; to treat.
Our obdurate clergy have with violence demeaned the matter. Milton.
v. t. [See supra.]
Sense 1. To carry or conduct; to behave; — followed by the reflexive pronoun.
They answered . . . that they should demean themselves according to their instructions. Clarendon.
Sense 2. [From de and mean, q. v.] To debase; to lower.
Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter. Thackeray.
Synonyms—TO DEMEAN, DEGRADE. These words have sometimes been interchanged by our leading English writers, demean being considered as connected with the adjective mean. Thus we find in Shakespeare,—
Now, out of doubt, Antipholus is mad. Else he would never so demean himself.
This, however, was by no means the established usage among our early writers, by whom, to a great extent, the word was taken to be connected with mien and demeanor; as in Chaucer:—
Come on with me; demeane you liche a maid, With shamefast drede, for ye shal speke, I wis, With her that is the myrrour, joy, and blisse; But somewhat strange and sad of her demeane She is.
This use of the word was formerly the only one admissible; but it is not unusual now to speak of a man's demeaning [i. e., degrading] himself by improper conduct.
n. [O. Fr. demene.]
n. Property; means. [Obs.]
You know How narrow our demeans are. Massinger.