Demeaned

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Demean \De*mean"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Demeaned}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Demeaning}.] [OF. demener to conduct, guide, manage, F.
     se d['e]mener to struggle; pref. d['e]- (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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              [Our] clergy have with violence demeaned the matter.
                                                    --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To conduct; to behave; to comport; -- followed by the
        reflexive pronoun.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They have demeaned themselves
              Like men born to renown by life or death. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They answered . . . that they should demean
              themselves according to their instructions.
                                                    --Clarendon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To debase; to lower; to degrade; -- followed by the
        reflexive pronoun.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an
              artist's daughter.                    --Thackeray.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: This sense is probably due to a false etymology which
           regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean.
           [1913 Webster]