DESERVE

deserve, merit

(verb) be worthy or deserving; โ€œYou deserve a promotion after all the hard work you have doneโ€

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

deserve (third-person singular simple present deserves, present participle deserving, simple past and past participle deserved)

(transitive) To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.

(obsolete) To earn, win.

(obsolete) To reward, to give in return for service.

(obsolete) To serve; to treat; to benefit.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See English catenative verbs

• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See

Synonyms

• merit

• See also deserve

Anagrams

• Veeders, severed

Source: Wiktionary


De*serve", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deserved; p. pr. & vb. n. Deserving.] Etym: [OF. deservir, desservir, to merit, L. deservire to serve zealously, be devoted to; de- + servire to serve. See Serve.]

1. To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as, the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise. God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. Job xi. 6. John Gay deserved to be a favorite. Thackeray. Encouragement is not held out to things that deserve reprehension. Burke.

2. To serve; to treat; to benefit. [Obs.] A man that hath So well deserved me. Massinger.

De*serve", v. i.

Definition: To be worthy of recompense; -- usually with ill or with well. One man may merit or deserve of another. South.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

8 May 2025

INSULATION

(noun) the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red โ€“ indicating ripeness โ€“ they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

coffee icon