demeanor
Appearance
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- demeanour (British spelling)
Etymology
[edit]From Middle English demenure, from the verb Middle English demenen, demeinen (“to handle, manage”), from Old French demener (“to guide, conduct”), from de- + mener (“to conduct, lead”), from Latin *mināre (“to drive”) and minor (“to project or jut forth”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/
- (General American) IPA(key): /dɪˈminɚ/
Audio (UK): (file) - Rhymes: -iːnə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: de‧mea‧nor
Noun
[edit]demeanor (countable and uncountable, plural demeanors)
- (American spelling) The social, non-verbal behaviours (such as body language and facial expressions) that are characteristic of a person.
- The man's demeanor made others suspicious of his intentions.
- A confident demeanor is crucial for persuading others.
- a. 1587, Raphael Holinshed, quoting Strabo, Historie of England[1], Book III:
- At this present (saith he) certeine princes of Britaine, procuring by ambassadors and dutifull demeanors the amitie of the emperour Augustus, haue offered in the capitoll vnto the gods presents or gifts, and haue ordeined the whole Ile in a manner to be appertinent, proper, and familiar to the Romans.
- 2009 April 12, Aaron Allston, Outcast, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 27:
- He kept up his cheerful demeanor. It wouldn't do for any of the holocams to see him looking irritable, for any recordings of such a response would appear on the news broadcasts.
Synonyms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]outward way in which a person behaves
Further reading
[edit]- “demeanor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “demeanor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/iːnə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/iːnə(ɹ)/3 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- American English forms
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations