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merit
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
merit
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
deserve/merit a mention
▪ The village was large enough to merit a mention in the 11th century Domesday Book.
deserve/merit consideration (also be worthy of consideration)
▪ He made a number of proposals that deserve consideration.
judge sth on its merits (=according to what you see when you look at it, rather than what people tell you)
▪ The arguments should be judged on their merits.
preach the virtues/merits/benefits of sth
▪ a politician preaching the virtues of a free market
The merits and demerits (=the good and bad qualities)
The merits and demerits of this argument have been explored.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
artistic
▪ But Sophie Ryder is a sculptor who finds artistic merit in the more mundane aspects of rural life.
▪ Membership of East Berlin's Akademie depended on government approval more than on artistic merit.
▪ Does An exact copy of a Michelangelo statue lose artistic merit because it doesn't have his name on it.
▪ The fifty-year-old display area is now to be replaced with a new space of suitably high artistic merit.
great
▪ He has very great merit in many respects.
▪ His great merit is to have turned stale images into a historically new subject.
▪ Harry's great merit was that, once he had been given the ball, he was a speedy and direct raider.
▪ The great merit of our constitutional arrangements is that they have developed cautiously and case by case.
▪ As a suggestion for a hermeneutic notion of social structure, it seems to us to have great merit.
literary
▪ Obviously, there is no literary merit in such rhymes.
▪ For most novels of literary merit, neither the dualist nor the monist doctrine will be entirely satisfactory.
■ NOUN
badge
▪ They work hard to earn their merit pins and merit badges.
pay
▪ They fear that such schemes could lead to disciplinary action against sub-standard teachers and to the beginnings of a merit pay system.
▪ In part for this reason, in part because several public employees unions opposed any merit pay, Congress yawned.
▪ In the civil service merit pay has been extended to cover all grades from April 1990.
▪ But merit pay for schools is another matter.
▪ Some administrators even used them to award merit pay to teachers.
▪ You may also be able to refer back to a recent rise in merit pay or bonus in your response.
■ VERB
based
▪ In the United States the nomination can be highly political, rather than based on legal merit.
▪ Promotions were to be based on merit rather than on personalities.
▪ Members of the upper strata in a meritocracy deserve their position; their privileges are based on merit.
▪ Principals are now hired and fired based on merit rather than seniority.
▪ Communities based on merit and passion are rare, and people who have been in them never forget them.
consider
▪ But consider merit, the Order of Merit.
▪ It's never enough to look back on any one piece of work and consider its merit.
▪ Applications from persons who hold qualifications not included in this list will be considered on their merit.
▪ Smaller groups of more than 30 competitors will be considered on their merit.
find
▪ But Sophie Ryder is a sculptor who finds artistic merit in the more mundane aspects of rural life.
▪ None has gone anywhere, though investigators sometimes found merit to the charges.
▪ Company officials said the allegations already have been examined by independent groups and found to be without merit.
judge
▪ Scriven has charged evaluators with the responsibility for judging the merit of an educational practice.
▪ Underlying their arguments is the idea that everyone should be judged on merit.
▪ How, I wondered, was I going to find some one to judge the merit of this work objectively?
▪ Your ideas will be judged for their merit, rather than in deference to your position.
▪ The extent of government involvement in such projects should be judged on individual merit, he said.
▪ The application will not be judged on merit.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ a merit scholarship
▪ The merits of the new health programme are gradually being recognized.
▪ The committee is still considering the merits of the new proposals.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ At the same time, some of the misconduct charges appear to have merit, according to officials.
▪ However the merit of Fei's book lies in its functionalist style.
▪ I think it will have some merit.
▪ There is obvious merit in good insulation, using only the most efficient kitchen appliances, heating systems and such.
▪ This involves identifying and describing all buildings of architectural merit and all objects of artistic, historic, literary and documentary value.
▪ This was a vigorous defense of the bill and not without merit.
▪ When he failed to promote any women into his first cabinet he insisted he would only appoint on merit.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
attention
▪ In the context of the right or the freedom to protest it merits special attention.
▪ The tricentennial of his death merited more attention than it received here.
▪ The Freemantles' religious and political opinions also merit some attention.
▪ The other contents of the church at Rennes merit no less attention.
▪ Academic courses raise a number of important curricular issues, but there are four which merit particular attention.
▪ This apparently simplistic and attractive technique which has been readily espoused by many workers merits further attention.
▪ The garden buildings nevertheless merit attention.
consideration
▪ Nevertheless, the story merits further consideration, as other evidence can be connected with it.
▪ Notice that many such questions merit consideration when you attempt to operationalize a major political variable.
▪ First, number concepts are fundamental to success in work with number and thus merit consideration.
▪ This, too, was a hard decision because Gary Stevens merited prime consideration.
▪ The make-up of any one particular group merits some consideration.
▪ I think he should merit consideration.
▪ If walking is one of your priorities when choosing a holiday, then this area definitely merits consideration.
mention
▪ Environmental considerations and costs do not even seem to merit a mention.
▪ It would hardly merit a mention except for the presence in the market of one incredible wine.
▪ The headlines were smaller this time and Bayly's religion didn't merit a mention in the Press.
▪ Integrity, validity and reliability merited one mention each and objectivity got two.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ The committee will decide whether the case merits more serious attention.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ At the outset two points merit emphasis.
▪ Finally, one issue merits more detailed comment because of its implications for the entire Docklands community - housing.
▪ Her business has become so famous that she felt its success story merited a corner display in her new museum.
▪ It is beyond me how it came To merit such enormous fame.
▪ Puisieulx Puisieulx is the smallest of the grand cru villages and certainly does not merit its exalted status.
▪ Reality: Under new state guidelines, her situation rarely would merit an investigation.
▪ The subject has an importance in the history of war at this period which merits emphasis.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Merit

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

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

Merit \Mer"it\, v. i. To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [Obs.]
--Beau. & Fl.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
merit

c.1200, "spiritual credit" (for good works, etc.); c.1300, "spiritual reward," from Old French merite "wages, pay, reward; thanks; merit, moral worth, that which assures divine pity," and directly from Latin meritum "a merit, service, kindness, benefit, favor; worth, value, importance," neuter of meritus, past participle of merere, meriri "to earn, deserve, acquire, gain," from PIE root *(s)mer- (2) "to allot, assign" (cognates: Greek meros "part, lot," moira "share, fate," moros "fate, destiny, doom," Hittite mark "to divide" a sacrifice).\n

\nSense of "worthiness, excellence" is from early 14c.; from late 14c. as "condition or conduct that deserves either reward or punishment;" also "a reward, benefit." Related: Merits. Merit system attested from 1880. Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder."

merit

late 15c., "to be entitled to," from Middle French meriter (Modern French mériter), from merite (n.), or directly from Latin meritare "to earn, yield," frequentative of mereri "to earn (money);" also "to serve as a soldier" (see merit (n.)). Related: Merited; meriting.

Wiktionary
merit

n. 1 Something deserving positive recognition. 2 Something worthy of a high rating. 3 A claim to commendation or reward. 4 The quality of deserving reward. 5 Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation. 6 (context obsolete English) The quality or state of deserving either good or bad; desert. vb. (context transitive English) To earn or to deserve.

WordNet
merit

v. be worthy or deserving; "You deserve a promotion after all the hard work you have done" [syn: deserve]

merit
  1. n. any admirable quality or attribute; "work of great merit" [syn: virtue] [ant: demerit]

  2. the quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance); "there were many children whose deservingness he recognized and rewarded" [syn: deservingness, meritoriousness]

Wikipedia
Merit (Catholicism)

In English usage merit ( Latin meritum) is understood to be that property of a good work which entitles the doer to receive a reward (prœmium, merces) from him in whose service the work is done.

In Catholic theology, a supernatural merit can only be a salutary act to which God in consequence of his infallible promise may give a reward. This article deals with this application.

Merit

The term merit constitutes a desirable trait or ability belonging to a person or (sometimes) an object.

It may refer to:

  • Merit (Catholicism)
  • Merit (Buddhism)
  • Meritocracy

Merit may also mean:

  • Merit (wife of Maya), an Egyptian woman, wife of Maya
  • Merit (indie rock band), a band from Syracuse, New York
  • Merit (emo band), a band from Phoenix, Arizona
  • Merit (cigarette), a brand of cigarettes made by Altria
  • Merit (law), a legal term used in deciding a legal case
  • Merit Computer Network
  • Merit pay, term describing performance-related pay
  • Merit School of Music, music education organization in metropolitan Chicago, United States
  • Merit, a trading name used by the British toy manufacturer J & L Randall
  • Merit Medical Systems, a medical device company founded in 1987 and headquartered in Utah, United States
  • Merit Energy Company, an international energy company
  • Merit Motion Pictures, a documentary film and television production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  • Merit, in number theory, the value of g / log(p) (see Prime gap)
  • Merit good, in economics, a commodity which is judged that an individual or society should have on the basis of need
  • Merit Academy, a high school located in Springville, Utah, United States
  • Merit, Texas, an unincorporated community in Hunt County, Texas, United States
  • Merit Janow, American professor
Merit (cigarette)

Merit is a brand of cigarettes made by Phillip Morris USA, a division of Altria.

Merit (indie rock band)

Merit is an indie rock band from Syracuse, New York.

Merit (law)

Merits (Old French merite, reward, moral worth) is a legal concept referring to the inherent rights and wrongs of a legal case, absent of any emotional or technical biases. The evidence is solely applied to cases decided on the merits, and any procedural matters are discounted.

Merit (Buddhism)

Merit ( Sanskrit , Pāli puñña) is a concept in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is that which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts and which carries over throughout the life or the subsequent incarnations. Such merit contributes to a person's growth towards spiritual liberation. Merit can be gained in a number of ways, one of the sutras that reflect this teaching is the Sutra on the Ten Wholesome Ways of Actions which suggest ten ways in which merit-making can occur in the Buddhist context. In addition, according to the Mahayana Sutra of The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, one can "transfer" one-seventh of the merit of an act they have performed to a deceased loved one, such as in the Shitro practice, in order to diminish the deceased's suffering in their new existence. Pariṇāmanā (Sanskrit) may be rendered as 'transfer of merit' or 'dedication' and involves the transfer of merit as a cause to bring about an effect.

Merit (emo band)

Merit is an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2012.

Usage examples of "merit".

That is my opinion as an honest scholar, viewing the question academically and on its merits.

Next to the merit of infallibility which you appear to possess, I rank that of candidly acknowledging a fault.

Raby had that touch of generosity in her own character that never permitted her to see merit without openly acknowledging, and endeavouring to reward it.

Although he was ignorant and devoid of any merit save a handsome face, he thought that an ecclesiastical career would insure his happiness, and he depended a great deal upon his preaching, for which, according to the opinion of the women with whom he was acquainted, he had a decided talent.

It must not be forgotten that his modelled work derives an adventitious merit from the splendour of the frescoes with which it is surrounded, and from our admiration of the astounding range of power manifested by their author.

Further than this, a physician of merit will not advertise himself in the newspapers, except to announce the location of his office or residence.

The sermon had at first been entrusted to the Reverend Father Agaric, but, in spite of his merits, he was thought unequal to the occasion in zeal and doctrine, and the eloquent Capuchin friar, who for six months had gone through the barracks preaching against the enemies of God and authority, had been chosen in his place.

He opened the first agenda and leafed through the pages, stopping to point out several of the entries that had merited his attention.

As often as he is pressed by the demands of the Koreish, he involves himself in the obscure boast of vision and prophecy, appeals to the internal proofs of his doctrine, and shields himself behind the providence of God, who refuses those signs and wonders that would depreciate the merit of faith, and aggravate the guilt of infidelity.

After the preliminary investigation the attorney general could determine the allegation had no merit and drop it.

The impossibility of examining into the merits of individuals by tens of thousands, and of establishing the quality and degree of their offenses, was so obvious that representatives on both sides of the House demanded an Act of general amnesty, excepting therefrom only the few classes whose names would lead to discussion and possibly to the defeat of the beneficent measure.

The broken army of the Goths abandoned the field of battle, the wasted province, and the passage of the Danube: and although the eldest of the sons of Constantine was permitted to supply the place of his father, the merit of the victory, which diffused universal joy, was ascribed to the auspicious counsels of the emperor himself.

But the sinful priest, being defiled, has neither the life nor the merits befitting this sacrament.

At this reply, the quickness of which constituted its chief merit, everybody present began to laugh and applaud.

Poor Poinsinet put him in a little one-act play called Le Cercle, which, though of very ordinary merit, was a great success.