Deem Definition

dēm

deemed, deems

verb

deemed, deems

To regard as; consider.

Deemed the results unsatisfactory.

American Heritage

To think, believe, or judge.

Webster's New World

To have an opinion; think.

American Heritage

To consider or assume that a thing has the attributes or qualities of something else; for example, for certain legal purposes, a corporation is deemed to be a person.

Webster's New World Law

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.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

noun

An opinion; judgement; surmise.

Wiktionary

Origin of Deem

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.

From Wiktionary
Middle English demen from Old English dēman dhē- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition