Demeanor

How to spell demeanor

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce demeanor

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does demeanor mean?

1. nounThe outward manner, conduct, or bearing a person shows toward others.

Demeanor in a sentence

• Her calm demeanor reassured the nervous patients in the waiting room.

• The manager kept a professional demeanor even during the heated meeting.

Where does demeanor come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back to the Old French verb demener, meaning 'to conduct, to guide, or to manage', which was built from the Latin de, here acting as an intensifier meaning 'thoroughly', plus minare, 'to drive animals by shouting or threatening'. That farmyard image of driving livestock softened over time into the idea of guiding or conducting oneself, so the English verb 'demean' originally meant 'to behave', not 'to lower or degrade'. The noun 'demeanor' grew out of that older sense and settled into its modern meaning of the way a person carries and presents themselves. The word entered English in the 1400s, and the spelling kept the doubled 'e' from 'demean' even though it is pronounced as a single long vowel. The -or ending here is the American form; British and Canadian writers keep the older -our spelling, 'demeanour', which is exactly the trap to watch.

How the word is built

• de- (from Latin de, thoroughly)
• mean (root of Old French demener: to conduct or guide)
• -or (noun suffix)

British and American spelling

Demeanor is the American spelling. British English spells it demeanour.