Dictionary: DEM'A-GOGUE – DE-MEN-TA'TION

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DEM'A-GOGUE, n. [dem'agog; Gr. δημαγωγος, from δημος, the populace, and αγω, to lead.]

  1. A leader of the people; an orator who pleases the populace and influences them to adhere to him.
  2. Any leader of the populace; any factious man who has great influence with the great body of people in a city or community.

DE-MAIN', n. [Norm. demainer. This might be from L. dominium, Fr. domaine. But in old law books it is written demesne, as if derived from meisan, maison, house. In Norman, it is written also demaygne, demeigne, as well as demeine.]

  1. A manor-house and the land adjacent or near, which a lord keeps in his own hands or immediate occupation, for the use of his family, as distinguished from his tenemental lands, distributed among his tenants, called book-land, or charter-land, and folk-land, or estates held in villenage, from which sprung copyhold estates. – Blackstone.
  2. Estate in lands. – Shak.

DE-MAND', n.

  1. An asking for or claim made by virtue of a right or supposed right to the thing sought; an asking with authority; a challenging as due; as, the demand of the creditor was reasonable; the note is payable on demand. He that has confidence to turn his wishes into demands, will be but a little way from thinking he ought to obtain them. – Locke.
  2. The asking or requiring of a price for goods offered for sale; as, I can not agree to his demand.
  3. That which is or may be claimed as due; debt; as, what are your demands on the estate?
  4. The calling for in order to purchase; desire to possess; as, the demand for the Bible has been great and extensive; copies are in great demand.
  5. A desire or a seeking to obtain. We say, the company of a gentleman is in great demand; the lady is in great demand or request.
  6. In law, the asking or seeking for what is due or claimed as due, either expressly by words, or by implication, as by seizure of goods or entry into lands.

DE-MAND', v.t. [Fr. demander; Sp. and Port. demandar; It. domandare or dimandare; Arm. mennat; de and L. mando, to command. The L. mando signifies to send; hence, to commit or intrust. To ask is to press or urge. Sw. mana, Dan. maner, to put in mind, to urge, press, dun; to admonish, L. moneo. It appears that mando, moneo and mens, mind, are all of one family; as also Ir. muinim, to teach; W. mynu, to will, to seek or procure, to insist, to obtain or have; Sax. manian; G. mahnen. See Class Mn, No. 7, 9.]

  1. To ask or call for, as one who has a claim or right to receive what is sought; to claim or seek as due by right. The creditor demands principal and interest of his debt. Here the claim is derived from law or justice.
  2. To ask by authority; to require; to seek or claim an answer by virtue of a right or supposed right in the interrogator, derived from his office, station, power or authority. The officers of the children of Israel … were beaten, and demanded, wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick? – Ex. v.
  3. To require as necessary or useful; as, the execution of this work demands great industry and care.
  4. To ask or require, as a seller of goods; as, what price do you demand?
  5. To sue for; to seek to obtain by legal process; as, the plaintif, in his action, demands unreasonable damages. In French, demander generally signifies simply to ask, request, or petition, when the answer or thing asked for, is a matter of grace or courtesy. But in English, demand is now seldom used in that sense, and rarely indeed can the French demander be rendered correctly in English by demand, except in the case of the seller of goods, who demands, [asks, requires,] a certain price for his wares. The common expression, “a king sent to demand another king's daughter in marriage,” is improper.

DE-MAND'A-BLE, a.

That may be demanded, claimed, asked for, or required; as, payment is demandable at the expiration of the credit.

DE-MAND'ANT, n.

One who demands; the plaintif in a real action; any plaintif.

DE-MAND'ED, pp.

Called for; claimed; challenged as due; requested; required; interrogated.

DE-MAND'ER, a.

One who demands; one who requires with authority; one who claims as due; one who asks; one who seeks to obtain.

DE-MAND'ING, ppr.

Claiming or calling for as due, or by authority; requiring; asking; pursuing a claim by legal process; interrogating.

DE-MAND'RESS, n.

A female demandant.

DE-MARCH', n. [Fr. demarche.]

March; walk; gait. [Obs.]

DE-MARK-A'TION, n. [Sp. demarcacion, from demarcar; de and marcar, to mark; marca, a mark; Port. demarcar. See Mark.]

  1. The act of marking, or of ascertaining and setting a limit.
  2. A limit or bound ascertained and fixed; line of separation marked or determined. The speculative line of demarkation, where obedience ought to end and resistance begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable. – Burke.

DE-MEAN', n.

  1. Behavior; carriage; demeanor. [Obs.] – Spenser.
  2. Mien. [Obs.] – Ibm.

DE-MEAN', v.t.1 [Fr. demener; Norm. demesner, demener, to lead, to manage, to govern, to stir; It. menare; Sp. menear.]

  1. To behave; to carry; to conduct; with the reciprocal pronoun; as, it is our duty to demean ourselves with humility.
  2. To treat. – Spenser.

DE-MEAN', v.t.2 [de and mean.]

To debase; to undervalue. [Not used.] – Shak.

DE-MEAN'ED, pp.

Behaved well: in a good sense. Lessened; debased: in a bad sense.

DE-MEAN'ING, ppr.

Behaving; also, debasing one's self.

DE-MEAN'OR, n.

Behavior; carriage; deportment; as, decent demeanor; sad demeanor. – Milton.

DE-MEAN'URE, n.

Behavior. [Not in use.]

DE-MEDIETATE, a. [L.]

A jury de medietate is one composed of half natives and half foreigners – used in actions in which a foreigner is a party, or half of common jurors and half of men of the class to which one of the parties belongs. – Blackstone.

DE'MEN-CY, n. [L. dementia.]

Madness. [Not in use.] – Skelton.

DE-MEN'TATE, a.

Mad; infatuated. Hammond.

DE-MEN'TATE, v.t. [L. demento; de and mens.]

To make mad. – Burton.

DE-MEN'TA-TED, pp.

Rendered mad.

DE-MEN-TA'TION, n.

The act of making frantic. – Whitlock.