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1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
demean
    v 1: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally; "She tends
         to put down younger women colleagues"; "His critics took
         him down after the lecture" [syn: take down, degrade,
         disgrace, demean, put down]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Demean \De*mean"\, n. [OF. demene. See Demean, v. t.]
   1. Management; treatment. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Vile demean and usage bad.            --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor. [Obs.]
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            With grave demean and solemn vanity.  --West.
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4. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Demean \De*mean"\, n. [See Demesne.]
   1. Demesne. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

   2. pl. Resources; means. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            You know
            How narrow our demeans are.           --Massinger.
      [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for Demean:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
abase, abash, acquit, act, bear, belittle, bring down, bring low, carry, cast down, comport, conduct, contemn, crush, debase, decry, degrade, deport, derogate, despise, detract, diminish, disparage, dump, dump on, go on, humiliate, lower, put down, quit, reduce, scorn, set down, sink, take down, trip up
Common Misspellings >
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