QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I canât figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of merit
First recorded in 1175â1225; Middle English, from Latin meritum âact worthy of praise (or blame),â noun use of neuter of meritus, past participle of merÄre âto earnâ
synonym study for merit
1. See desert3.
historical usage of merit
The noun merit first appears in English in the very early 13th century, and the verb much later, toward the end of the 15th century. The noun comes from Anglo-French and Old French merit(e) âreward, moral worthâ and Latin meritum âwhat one deserves, due reward, justification,â a noun use of meritum, the past participle of the verb merÄre (also merÄrÄ« ) âto earn, receive as a reward.â The verb merit comes from Middle French mĂ©riter âto reward, deserveâ and Latin meritÄre âto bring in money (regularly), draw pay as a soldier, serve in the army.â
The earliest English sense of the noun is religious and theological, âthe quality of (a person or action) being entitled to a reward from God,â which will be familiar to anyone who attended parochial school. The legal term merits, i.e., âthe intrinsic rights or wrongs of a case or matter, without consideration of procedural details, personal feelings, etc.,â dates from the end of the 15th century. The British Order of Merit, an award given to civilians and members of the armed forces, first appears in English in 1799, and is modeled on the Pour le MĂ©rite established by King Frederick II (âFrederick the Greatâ) of Prussia in 1740.
The earliest English sense of the noun is religious and theological, âthe quality of (a person or action) being entitled to a reward from God,â which will be familiar to anyone who attended parochial school. The legal term merits, i.e., âthe intrinsic rights or wrongs of a case or matter, without consideration of procedural details, personal feelings, etc.,â dates from the end of the 15th century. The British Order of Merit, an award given to civilians and members of the armed forces, first appears in English in 1799, and is modeled on the Pour le MĂ©rite established by King Frederick II (âFrederick the Greatâ) of Prussia in 1740.
OTHER WORDS FROM merit
Words nearby merit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use merit in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for merit
merit
/ (ËmÉrÉȘt) /
noun
worth or superior quality; excellencework of great merit
(often plural) a deserving or commendable quality or actjudge him on his merits
Christianity spiritual credit granted or received for good works
the fact or state of deserving; desert
an obsolete word for reward
verb -its, -iting or -ited
(tr) to be worthy of; deservehe merits promotion
See also merits
Derived forms of merit
merited, adjectivemeritless, adjectiveWord Origin for merit
C13: via Old French from Latin meritum reward, desert, from merÄre to deserve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with merit
merit
see on its merits.
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.