to lower someone's dignity or to behave in a manner unworthy of one's position or status.
From 'be-' plus 'mean' (in the sense of unworthy or base). This archaic verb means to make someone or something seem base or unworthy.
'Bemean' reveals an older English concern with honor and status—today we say 'demean,' which comes from French and means essentially the same thing, showing how English replaced older 'be-' words with Romance word pairs.
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