Deem

Pronunciation

• IPA: /diːm/
• Rhymes: -iːm

Origin

From Middle English demen, from Old English dēman ("to judge, determine, reckon, decide, decree, sentence, condemn, assign, deem, consider, think, estimate, compute, examine, prove, doom, condemn, praise, glorify, tell, declare"), from Proto-Germanic *dōmijaną ("to judge, think"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰē-, *dʰeh₁- ("to set, put, stell, lay"). Cognate with North Frisian dema ("to judge, recognise"), Dutch doemen ("to condemn, foredoom"), Danish dømme ("to judge"), Swedish döma ("to judge, sentence, condemn"), Russian думать (dúmat, "I think, consider, judge") and probably Albanian them ("I say, believe, deem"). Related to doom.

Full definition of deem

Verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To judge; pass judgement on; sentence; doom.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To adjudge; decree.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To dispense (justice); administer (law).
4. (ambitransitive) To think, judge, or hold as an opinion; decide or believe on consideration; suppose.
• EmersonAnd deemest thou as those who pore,
  With aged eyes, short way before?
5. (transitive) To hold in belief or estimation; adjudge as a conclusion; regard as being; evaluate according to one's beliefs; account.She deemed his efforts insufficient.
6. (intransitive) To have or hold as a (personal) opinion; judge; think.

Synonyms

• judge
• consider; see also

Derived terms

• addeem
• deemer
• deemster, dempster
• fordeem
• foredeem
• misdeem

Noun

1. An opinion; judgement; surmise.

Anagrams

• deme
• Mede
• meed