demean

demean · verb¹

1. Old English · derived fromġemǣne“mean, common”
2. Middle English · derived frommene
3. English todaydemean

(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.

demean · verb, noun²

1. Latin · derived frommināre
2. Old French · derived fromdemener
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromdemener
4. Middle English · inherited fromdemenen, demeinen
5. English todaydemean

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

demean · noun³

Variant of demesne.

demean · verb⁴

de- + mean

Words from the same roots