demeanour
pronunciation
How to pronounce demeanour in British English:
UK [dɪˈmi:nə(r)]
How to pronounce demeanour in American English:
US [dɪˈminɚ]
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- Noun:
- (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
Word Origin
- demeanour
- demeanour: [15] A person’s demeanour is how they ‘conduct’ themselves. The word goes back ultimately to the literal notion of driving animals along. It is a derivative of the now virtually obsolete reflexive verb demean ‘behave’, borrowed in the 13th century from Old French demener. This was a compound formed from the intensive prefix de- and mener ‘lead’, a descendant of Latin mināre ‘drive a herd of animals’ (whose original connotation of ‘urging on with threats’ is revealed by its close relationship with minārī ‘threaten’, source of English menace).This obsolete demean should not, incidentally, be confused with demean ‘degrade’ [17], which was formed from the adjective mean.=> menace
- demeanour
- chiefly British English spelling of demeanor; for suffix, see -or.
Example
- 1. Aged 54 , he has the demeanour of a winner .
- 2. Casual observers often mistake his modest demeanour and collegial style for a lack of assertiveness .
- 3. Certainly his record and demeanour stand him in good stead in the eyes of his colleagues .
- 4. His aristocratic demeanour and habit of making off-the-cuff remarks contribute both to his appeal and his potential liability .
- 5. Despite mr kim 's cheerful public demeanour and a recent reshuffle of the senior ranks of the army , observers say there is no evidence of domestic or foreign policy change .