- demure
- adjective Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century 1. reserved, modest 2. affectedly modest, reserved, or serious ; coy • demurely adverb • demureness noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
demure
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Demure — De*mure , a. [Perh. from OF. de murs (i. e., de bonnes murs of good manners); de of + murs, mours, meurs, mors, F. m?urs, fr. L. mores (sing. mos) manners, morals (see {Moral}); or more prob. fr. OF. me[ u]r, F. m[^u]r mature, ripe (see {Mature}) … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
demure — (adj.) late 14c. (early 14c. as a surname), from O.Fr. meur mature, fully grown, ripe, hence discreet, from L. maturus mature (see MATURE (Cf. mature) (v.)) [OED]. The de in this word is of uncertain meaning. Or possibly from Anglo Fr. demuré… … Etymology dictionary
Demure — De*mure , v. i. To look demurely. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
demure — index diffident Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
démuré — démuré, ée (dé mu ré, rée) part. passé. Une porte murée, puis démurée … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
demure — [adj] reserved, affected backward, bashful, blushing, close, coy, decorous, diffident, earnest, humble, modest, nice, prim, prissy, proper, prudish, reticent, retiring, sedate, serious, shy, silent, skittish, sober, solemn, staid, strait laced,… … New thesaurus
demure — ► ADJECTIVE (demurer, demurest) ▪ (of a woman) reserved, modest, and shy. DERIVATIVES demurely adverb demureness noun. ORIGIN perhaps from Old French demourer remain, stay , influenced by mur grave … English terms dictionary
demure — [di myoor′] adj. [ME demur < de (prob. intens.) + mur < OFr mëur, ripe, mature < L maturus, MATURE] 1. decorous; modest; reserved 2. affectedly modest or shy; coy SYN. SHY1 demurely adv. demureness n … English World dictionary
demure — [[t]dɪmjʊ͟ə(r)[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED (approval) If you describe someone, usually a young woman, as demure, you mean they are quiet and rather shy, usually in a way that you like and find appealing, and behave very correctly. She s very demure and… … English dictionary
demure — UK [dɪˈmjʊə(r)] / US [dɪˈmjʊr] adjective Word forms demure : adjective demure comparative demurer superlative demurest a) a demure woman is quiet and shy and always behaves well b) used about a woman s behaviour or the clothes that she wears a… … English dictionary
demure — de|mure [dıˈmjuə US ˈmjur] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: demoré, past participle of demorer; DEMUR] 1.) quiet, serious, and well behaved used especially about women in the past ▪ Old photos of Maggie show her young and demure. 2.)… … Dictionary of contemporary English
