It's the Word of the Day podcast for May 19th.

Today's word is demeanor, spelled D-E-M-E-A-N-O-R. Demeanor is a noun. It refers to someone's outward manner and behavior toward others.

Here's the word used in a sentence from the Rockdale Citizen.

At home, your demeanor impacts your family more than you realize.

Your kids feed off your energy.

If you're engaged, positive, and present, they feel it.

The history of the word demeanor begins with a threat.

It has its roots in the Latin word minari, meaning to threaten.

A form of that word was used in contexts having to do with driving animals,

that is, impelling them to move.

And from this word came more recent French ancestors having to do with leading, guiding, and behaving. By the 14th century, English had adopted a word

out of this lineage. The verb demean, meaning to conduct or behave oneself, usually in a proper

manner. Another demean, defined as to lower in character status or reputation,

entered the language later by way of the mean that has to do with being cruel.

The noun demeanor was formed in the following century

through the addition of the suffix OR.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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