merit

merit
{{11}}merit (n.) c.1200, "spiritual credit" (for good works, etc.); c.1300, "spiritual reward," from O.Fr. merite "wages, pay, reward; thanks; merit, moral worth, that which assures divine pity," and directly from L. meritum "a merit, service, kindness, benefit, favor; worth, value, importance," neuter of meritus, pp. of merere, meriri "to earn, deserve, acquire, gain," from PIE root * (s)mer- "to allot, assign" (Cf. Gk. meros "part, lot," moira "share, fate," moros "fate, destiny, doom," Hittite mark "to divide" a sacrifice).
Sense of "worthiness, excellence" is from early 14c.; from late 14c. as "condition or conduct that deserves either reward or punishment;" also "a reward, benefit." Related: Merits. Merit system attested from 1880. Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder."
{{12}}merit (v.) late 15c., "to be entitled to," from M.Fr. meriter (Mod.Fr. mériter), from merite (n.), or directly from L. meritare "to earn, yield," frequentative of mereri "to earn (money);" also "to serve as a soldier" (see MERIT (Cf. merit) (n.)). Related: MERITED (Cf. Merited); meriting.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Merit — • By merit (meritum) in general is understood that property of a good work which entitles the doer to receive a reward from him in whose service the work is done Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Merit     Merit …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • merit — Ⅰ. merit UK US /ˈmerɪt/ noun [C or U] ► FORMAL the quality of being good and deserving to be praised or rewarded, or an advantage that something has: »Proposals will be judged strictly on merit by an external committee. »I fail to see the merit… …   Financial and business terms

  • merit — MÉRIT, merite, s.n. Calitate, însuşire remarcabilă care face pe cineva sau ceva să fie vrednic de stimă, de laudă, de răsplată; valoare, virtute. ♢ loc. adv. Pe merit = pe bună dreptate, justificat. – Din fr. mérite. Trimis de LauraGellner, 28.05 …   Dicționar Român

  • merit — mer·it / mer ət/ n 1 pl: the substance of a case apart from matters of jurisdiction, procedure, or form a ruling on the merit s of the case see also judgment on the merits at …   Law dictionary

  • Merit — Mer it, n. [F. m[ e]rite, 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}.] 1. The quality or state… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Merit — Mer it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Merited}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Meriting}.] [F. m[ e]riter, L. meritare, v. intens. fr. merere. See {Merit}, n.] 1. To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Merit — ist ein weiblicher Vorname. Herkunft und Bedeutung des Namens dänische/schwedische Kurzform von Margarete schweizerische Kurzform von Emerentia ägyptisch: Die Geliebte (zum Beispiel die Pharaonentöchter Meritaton = Geliebte des Aton, Meritamun =… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • merit# — merit n 1 *due, desert Analogous words: meed, reward, guerdon (see PREMIUM): worth, value: gaining or gainings, winning or winnings (see GET) 2 *excellence, virtue, perfection Antonyms: fault: defect …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • merit — [n] advantage arete, asset, benefit, caliber, credit, desert, dignity, excellence, excellency, good, goodness, honor, integrity, perfection, quality, stature, strong point, talent, value, virtue, worth, worthiness; concept 693 Ant. demerit,… …   New thesaurus

  • Merit — Mer it, v. i. To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • merit — as a verb has inflected forms merited, meriting …   Modern English usage

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”