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Synonyms
merit
- 8 dictionary resultsmer⋅it
[mer-it]
–noun
| 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. | Roman Catholic Church. worthiness of spiritual reward, acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace. |
| 6. | Obsolete. something that is deserved, whether good or bad. |
–verb (used with object)
| 7. | to be worthy of; deserve. |
–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; ME < L meritum act worthy of praise (or blame), n. use of neut. of meritus, ptp. of merēre to earn
1175–1225; ME < L meritum act worthy of praise (or blame), n. use of neut. of meritus, ptp. of merēre to earn

Related forms:
mer⋅it⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
mer⋅it⋅less, adjective
Synonyms:
1. value, credit. Merit, desert, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, esp. 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, esp. 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. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To merit
mer·it (měr'ĭt) n.
v. tr. To earn; deserve. See Synonyms at earn1. v. intr. To be worthy or deserving: Pupils are rewarded or corrected, as they merit. [Middle English, from Old French merite, reward or punishment, from Latin meritum, from neuter past participle of merēre, to deserve; see (s)mer-2 in Indo-European roots.] mer'it·less adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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 of deserving well or ill; desert. Here may men see how sin hath his merit. --Chaucer. 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. --Shak. 2. Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence. Reputation is . . . oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. --Shak. To him the wit of Greece and Rome was known, And every author's merit, but his own. --Pope. 3. 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. --Prior.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 in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment. "This kindness merits thanks." --Shak. 2. To reward. [R. & Obs.] --Chapman.Merit
Mer"it\, v. i. To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : merit
Spanish:
mérito, merecimiento,
German:
der Verdienst,
Japanese:
功績
merit (n.)
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). The verb meaning "to be entitled to" is from 1526. L. meritare, freq. of mereri, meant "to earn (money), to serve as a soldier." Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder." Meritocracy coined 1958 by Michael Young and used in title of his book, "The Rise of the Meritocracy."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: mer·it
Pronunciation: 'mer-&t
Function: noun
1 plural : the substance of a case apart from matters of jurisdiction, procedure, or form merits of the case> —see also judgment on the merits at JUDGMENT 1a
2 : legal significance, standing, or worth
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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merit
see on its merits.
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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