The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
meriting
present participle of merit
• mitering, retiming
Source: Wiktionary
Mer"it, n. Etym: [F. mérite, L. meritum, fr. merere, mereri, to deserve, merit; prob. originally, to get a share; akin to Gr. 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.
Mer"it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Merited; p. pr. & vb. n. Meriting.] Etym: [F. mériter, 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.
Mer"it, v. i.
Definition: To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 May 2025
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.