Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French merite, from Latin meritum, from neuter of meritus, past participle of merEre to deserve, earn; akin to Greek meiresthai to receive as one's portion, meros part
Pronunciation : 'mer-&t
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. value; character or accomplishment that commends praise; excellence; state of being worthy of appreciation. be worthy of, be eligible for; deserve. merit\mer"it\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. merited; p. pr. & vb. n. meriting.] [f. mériter, l. meritare, v. intens. fr. merere. see:
merit, n.].
2. to earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment. "this kindness merits thanks.".
3. to reward. [r. & obs.]merit \mer"it\, v. i. to acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [obs.] & fl.merit \mer"it\ , n. [f. mérite, l. meritum, fr. merere, mereri, to deserve, merit; prob. originally, to get a share; akin to gr. part, fate, doom, to receive as one's portion. cf. market, merchant, mercer, mercy.].
4. the quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert. here may men see:
how sin hath his merit. be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought for things that others do; and when we fall, we answer other's merits in our name.
5. esp. in a good sense: the quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence. reputation is oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. to him the wit of greece and rome was known, and every author's merit, but his own.
6. reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits. those laurel groves, the merits of thy youth.merit n.
7. any admirable quality or attribute; "work of great merit" [syn: virtue] [ant: demerit].
8. the quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance); "there were many children whose deservingness he recognized and rewarded" [syn: deservingness, meritoriousness] be worthy of or have a certain rating [syn: rate, deserve].
9. The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.
10. Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.
11. Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.
12. To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.
13. To reward.
14. To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. any admirable quality or attribute; "work of great merit".
15. 1. If something has merit, it has good or worthwhile qualities. The argument seemed to have considerable merit Box-office success mattered more than artistic merit.
16. The merits of something are its advantages or other good points. the technical merits of a film.
17. If someone or something merits a particular action or treatment, they deserve it. He said he had done nothing wrong to merit a criminal investigation = deserve.
18. If you judge something or someone on merit or on their merits, your judgment is based on what you notice when you consider them, rather than on things that you know about them from other sources. Everybody is selected on merit Each case is judged on its merits. to be good, important, or serious enough for praise or attention = deserve.
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