Word of the Day
: May 19, 2026demeanor
playWhat It Means
Demeanor refers to someone’s outward manner and behavior toward others.
// The teacher’s calm demeanor put the classroom at ease.
demeanor in Context
“At home, your demeanor impacts your family more than you realize. Your kids feed off your energy. If you’re engaged, positive, and present, they feel it.” — Brandon Brigman, The Rockdale Citizen (Conyers, Georgia), 30 Mar. 2026
Did You Know?
The history of demeanor begins with a threat: the word has its roots in Latin minārī, meaning “to threaten.” A form of that word was used in contexts having to do with driving animals—that is, impelling them to move—and from this word came more recent French ancestors having to do with leading, guiding, and behaving. By the 14th century, English had adopted a word out of this lineage: the verb demean meaning “to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner.” (Another demean, defined as “to lower in character, status, or reputation,” entered the language later by way of the mean that has to do with being cruel.) The noun demeanor was formed in the following century through the addition of the suffix -or.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Word Family Quiz
Fill in the blanks to complete an adjective related to Latin minārī (meaning “to threaten”) that means “willing to agree or accept something that is wanted or asked for”: a _ e n a _ l _.
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