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merit

 - 5 dictionary results

mer⋅it

  [mer-it]
Use merit in a Sentence
–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

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To merit
mer·it   (měr'ĭt)   
n.  

    1. Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit.

    2. A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late.

    3. Law A party's strict legal rights, excluding jurisdictional, personal, or technical aspects.

    4. The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.

  2. Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone.

  3. An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval. Often used in the plural: judging people according to their merits.

  4. Christianity Spiritual credit granted for good works.

  5. merits

    1. Law A party's strict legal rights, excluding jurisdictional, personal, or technical aspects.

    2. The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.

v.   mer·it·ed, mer·it·ing, mer·its

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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Word Origin & History

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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Legal Dictionary

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 merit>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

merit

see on its merits.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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