demure
pronunciation
How to pronounce demure in British English:
UK [dɪˈmjʊə(r)]
How to pronounce demure in American English:
US [dɪˈmjʊr]
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- Adjective:
- affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way
Word Origin
- demure
- demure: [14] Etymologically, someone who is demure is quiet and settled, not agitated. The word comes from demore, the past participle of Old French demorer ‘stay’ (source of English demur), and so semantically is a parallel formation to staid. One of its earliest recorded uses in English was actually to describe the sea as ‘calm’, and it was not until the late 17th century that its modern slightly pejorative connotations of coyness began to emerge.=> demur
- demure (adj.)
- late 14c. (early 14c. as a surname), from Old French meur "mature, fully grown, ripe," hence "discreet," from Latin maturus "mature" (see mature (v.)) [OED]. The de- in this word is of uncertain meaning. Or possibly from Anglo-French demuré (Old French demoré), past participle of demorer "stay," and influenced by meur [Barnhart]. Or from Old French de (bon) murs "of good manners," from murs (Modern French moeurs) [Klein].
Synonym
Example
- 1. I almost said , " don 't go " , but I tried to be demure and said : " let 's meet next week . "
- 2. The popular notion that japanese women are demure and subservient is a lazy stereotype , but miyuki 's behaviour would seem bizarre in any country .
- 3. Compressed air flows beneath silicone skin , triggering actuators that raise her arms and lift the corners of her mouth into a demure smile .
- 4. From hip-hugging chic to hippie chic , eclectic couture and housewives demure , we came up with a definitive list of some of our favorite fashionable ladies in tv history .
- 5. The contemporary first ladies who adopt a more demure profile have drawn less criticism , but all of them have taken up various causes ; some , like jackie kennedy , are now seen as having been canny backstage operators .