Demure- Daily Word №20
What?! This is a word?
Today’s word is demure. To be honest, this is probably one of the rarer words that I’ve covered in this series, as we see no trace of anything similar to it in modern literature.
I stumbled across this little beauty when revisiting Villette by Charlotte Brontë, and here is a short guide on using this word.
Looking Deeper
demure has an interesting history attached to the letters. It was tracked back to the Middle English word ‘demwre’ , and that’s when the trail runs cold. It appears to have no more roots in English past ‘demwre’, but has a somewhat distant cousin in Old French: ‘meur’(The Modern French version is ‘mûr’). This four letter word means ‘mature’.
demure itself has a different definition from all of these however, and can be used to describe a shy, somber, quiet or modest person. While not specifically attuned to any specific role, this word is mostly attributed to women.
demure also has a second meaning, which is used to describe someone who shows an aura of gravity around them. Yes, just like that teacher pacing the exam rooms with a watch and a poker face.
Using ‘demure’ in a Sentence
Interestingly, demure conveys a surprising amount of meaning compacted within those few six letters. It covers more ground than ‘shy’, has a broader spectrum than ‘meek’ or ‘mild’.
Replace similar adjectives with demure if you wish to add more depth to a character.
“She is a shy young lady, with prim dress and a simple bonnet adorned with a single iris.”
“She is quite a demure young lady, with prim dress and a simple bonnet adorned with a single iris.”
