Emily Dickinson Lexicon

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.