mer·it
(mĕŕĭt)
[Middle English, from Old French merite, reward or punishment, from Latin meritum, from neuter past participle of merēre, to deserve.]
noun
- Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit.
- A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late.
- Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone.
- An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval. Often used in the plural: judging people according to their merits.
- Christianity Spiritual credit granted for good works.
- Law A party's strict legal rights, excluding jurisdictional, personal, or technical aspects.
- The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations.
verb: -it·ed, -it·ing, -its.
transitive verb
- To earn; deserve. See synonyms at earn1
intransitive verb
- To be worthy or deserving: Pupils are rewarded or corrected, as they merit.
derivatives
- meŕit·less
- adjective
