Lower cleric takes me in (6)

I believe the answer is:

demean

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'lower' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'cleric takes me in' is the wordplay.
'cleric takes' becomes 'dean' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'dean' going around 'me' is 'DEMEAN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for demean that I've seen before include "Cause (someone) to lose dignity" , "Cause (someone) to suffer loss of dignity" , "make base" , "Belittle; degrade" , "Lower, degrade" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.