DEMERIT

demerit, fault

(noun) the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection; “they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel”; “he knew his own faults much better than she did”

demerit

(noun) a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces; “ten demerits and he loses his privileges”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

demerit (countable and uncountable, plural demerits)

A quality of being inadequate; a fault; a disadvantage

A mark given for bad conduct to a person attending an educational institution or serving in the army.

That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert.

Synonyms

• discredit

Antonyms

• merit

Verb

demerit (third-person singular simple present demerits, present participle demeriting, simple past and past participle demerited)

(transitive, archaic) To deserve.

(transitive, archaic) To depreciate or cry down.

Anagrams

• detemir, dimeter, merited, mitered, red time, retimed

Source: Wiktionary


De*mer"it, n. Etym: [F. démérite demerit (in sense 2), OF. demerite demerit (in sense 1), fr. L. demerere to deserve well, LL., to deserve well or ill; de- + merere to deserve. See De-, and Merit.]

1. That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert. [Obs.] By many benefits and demerits whereby they obliged their adherents, [they] acquired this reputation. Holland.

2. That which deserves blame; ill desert; a fault; a vice; misconduct; -- the opposite of Ant: merit. They see no merit or demerit in any man or any action. Burke. Secure, unless forfeited by any demerit or offense. Sir W. Temple.

3. The state of one who deserves ill.

De*mer"it, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. démériter to deserve ill. See Demerit, n.]

1. To deserve; -- said in reference to both praise and blame. [Obs.] If I have demerited any love or thanks. Udall. Executed as a traitor . . . as he well demerited. State Trials (1645).

2. To depreciate or cry down. [R.] Bp. Woolton.

De*mer"it, v. i.

Definition: To deserve praise or blame.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 April 2024

GREAT

(adjective) remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect; “a great crisis”; “had a great stake in the outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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