DEMEAN

demean. Demean, v. to behave, carry, debate, undervalue

---

De‐mean″ (?), v. 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. 1. To manage; to conduct; to treat.
clergy have with violence demeaned the matter. Milton. 2. 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. Shak. They answered . . . that they should demean themselves according to their instructions. Clarendon. 3. 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.