Word of the Day

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

mien

\MEEN\ , noun;

Manner or bearing, especially as expressive of mood, attitude, or personality; demeanor.

Aspect; appearance.

Quotes:

He raised and answered the question with the dispassionate mien of a professor advising a student on a course of study.

-- Edith Anderson, Love in Exile

For her part, Amy soon learned to cloak her self-assurance and pride in her achievements in a modest mien.

-- Adrienne Fried Block, Amy Beach: Passionate Victorian

Here Mnemosyne shows her true face, and she is no young beauty. Not for her the unlined mien of the younger Muses.

-- Vera Schwarcz, Bridge Across Broken Time

Origin:

Mien perhaps derives from French mine, "bearing, expression," from Breton min, "beak, snout," hence "a person's face."