Nearby Words
ɪtnoun
1.
claim to respect and praise; excellence; worth.
2.
something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation; a commendable quality, act, etc.: The book's only merit is its sincerity.
3.
merits, the inherent rights and wrongs of a matter, as a lawsuit, unobscured by procedural details, technicalities, personal feelings, etc.: The case will be decided on its merits alone.
4.
Often, merits. the state or fact of deserving; desert: to treat people according to their merits.
5.
EXPANDRoman Catholic Church. worthiness of spiritual reward, acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace.
6.
COLLAPSEObsolete. something that is deserved, whether good or bad.
verb (used with object)
7.
to be worthy of; deserve.
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Merit
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used without object)
8.
Chiefly Theology. to acquire merit.
adjective
9.
based on merit: a merit raise of $25 a week.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English < Latin meritum act worthy of praise (or blame), noun use of neuter of meritus, past participle of merēre to earn
1175–1225; Middle English < Latin meritum act worthy of praise (or blame), noun use of neuter of meritus, past participle of merēre to earn
Related forms
mer·it·ed·ly, adverb
mer·it·less, adjective
half-mer·it·ed, adjective
o·ver·mer·it, verb
pre·mer·it, verb (used with object)
EXPANDself-mer·it, noun
un·mer·it·ed, adjective
un·mer·it·ed·ly, adverb
well-mer·it·ed, adjective
COLLAPSESynonyms
1. value, credit. Merit, desert, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, especially favorable recognition. Merit is usually the excellence that entitles to praise: a person of great merit. Desert is the quality that entitles one to a just reward: according to her deserts. Worth is always used in a favorable sense and signifies inherent value or goodness: The worth of your contribution is incalculable.
1. value, credit. Merit, desert, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, especially favorable recognition. Merit is usually the excellence that entitles to praise: a person of great merit. Desert is the quality that entitles one to a just reward: according to her deserts. Worth is always used in a favorable sense and signifies inherent value or goodness: The worth of your contribution is incalculable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To merit
Example Sentences
- Duncan's “fantastic” versus “mediocre” issue —teacher layoffs here are based on seniority rather than merit.
- The idea of merit pay is a good one: teachers should be paid more for teaching better.
- Both their lives and their writings merit close attention.
Collins
World English Dictionary
| merit (ˈmɛrɪt) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | worth or superior quality; excellence: work of great merit |
| 2. | (often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or act: judge him on his merits |
| 3. | Christianity spiritual credit granted or received for good works |
| 4. | the fact or state of deserving; desert |
| 5. | an obsolete word for reward |
| —vb , -its, -iting, -ited | |
| 6. | (tr) to be worthy of; deserve: he merits promotion |
| [C13: via Old French from Latin meritum reward, desert, from merēre to deserve] | |
| 'merited | |
| —adj | |
| 'meritless | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
merit
c.1300, from O.Fr. merite, from L. meritum "desert, reward, merit," neut. of meritus, pp. of merere, meriri "to earn, deserve, acquire, gain," from PIE base *(s)mer- "to allot, assign" (cf. Gk. meros "part, lot," moira "share, fate," moros "fate, destiny, doom," Hittite mark "to divide" a sacrifice).
EXPANDThe verb meaning "to be entitled to" is from 1520s, from L. meritare, frequentative of mereri, meant "to earn (money);" also "to serve as a soldier." Related: Merited; merits. Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
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