Merit

How to spell merit

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce merit

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does merit mean?

1. nounThe quality of deserving praise, reward, or recognition; worth or excellence.
2. verbTo deserve or be worthy of something through one's actions or qualities.

Merit in a sentence

• noun

  The panel judged each application on its own merit.

• verb

  The proposal does merit a closer look from the board.

• noun

  There is real merit in finishing the report a week early.

• verb

  Her years of quiet service merit far more recognition than she received.

Where does merit come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Merit comes from the Latin meritum, meaning 'that which is deserved' or 'earnings', the neuter past participle of the verb merere, 'to earn, to deserve, or to serve for pay'. In its earliest Roman use it carried the idea of a wage or a service rendered that warranted reward, so the notion of deserving was baked in from the start. The word reached English in the 1200s through Old French merite, initially with a strong religious flavour: a 'merit' was a good deed that earned spiritual credit. Over time the sense broadened into the general modern idea of worth, quality, or value that justifies recognition. The same merere root survives in 'meritorious' and in 'emeritus', the title for a retired professor who has earned lasting honour, and the spelling stays mercifully regular with a single t throughout.

How the word is built

• merit (from Latin meritum: deserved reward, earnings)