demean

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. 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 ]

☞ This sense is probably due to a false etymology which regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean. [ 1913 Webster ]