“Demean for Debase or Degrade. ‘He demeaned himself by accepting charity.’ The word relates, not to meanness, but to demeanor, conduct, behavior. One may demean oneself with dignity and credit.”
Excerpted from: Bierce, Ambrose. Write it Right: A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2010.
Mark's Text Terminal 