Chapter Delphine to Demeanor of D by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

1. To manage; to conduct; to treat.

[Our] clergy have with violence demeaned the matter.

Milton.

2. To conduct; to behave; to comport; — followed by the reflexive pronoun.

They have demeaned themselves
Like men born to renown by life or death.

Shak.

They answered . . . that they should demean themselves according to their instructions.

Clarendon.

3. To debase; to lower; to degrade; — followed by the reflexive pronoun.

Her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter.

Thackeray.

This sense is probably due to a false etymology which regarded the word as connected with the adjective mean.

Demean
(De*mean") n. [OF. demene. See Demean, v. t.]

1. Management; treatment. [Obs.]

Vile demean and usage bad.

Spenser.

2. Behavior; conduct; bearing; demeanor. [Obs.]

With grave demean and solemn vanity.

West.

Demean
(De*mean"), n. [See Demesne.]

1. Demesne. [Obs.]

2. pl. Resources; means. [Obs.]

You know
How narrow our demeans are.

Massinger.

Demeanance
(De*mean"ance) n. Demeanor. [Obs.] Skelton.

Demeanor
(De*mean"or) n. [Written also demeanour.] [For demeanure, fr. demean. See Demean, v. t.]

1. Management; treatment; conduct. [Obs.]

God commits the managing so great a trust . . . wholly to the demeanor of every grown man.

Milton.

2. Behavior; deportment; carriage; bearing; mien.

His demeanor was singularly pleasing.

Macaulay.

The men, as usual, liked her artless kindness and simple refined demeanor.

Thackeray.