Mien
/miːn/noun
A person’s outward bearing, manner, or appearance.
Did you know?English mien developed from a French possessive form meaning “mine” or “my own,” suggesting that someone’s outward bearing was understood as something characteristically belonging to them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*me-
“First-person pronoun stem meaning “me” or “my””
Classical Latin
Latin
meus
“My; mine”
Old French
Old French
mien
“Mine; my own, used as a possessive form”
Middle French
Middle French
mien
“Manner, way, or personal bearing”
16th Century
English
mien
“Outward appearance, manner, or bearing”
Modern English
English
mien
“A person’s visible manner or demeanor”