noun

1. the state, fact, or quality of deserving well or, sometimes, ill; desert
2. worth; value; excellence
3. something deserving reward, praise, or gratitude
4. a reward or honor given for superior qualities or conduct; mark, badge, etc. awarded for excellence
5. intrinsic rightness or wrongness apart from formalities, emotional considerations, etc. to decide a case on its merits

Etymology: OFr merite < L meritum < meritus, pp. of merere, to deserve, earn, akin to mereri, to serve for hire < IE base *(s)mer-, to remember, care (hence provide for, allot a share to) > mourn, L memor, mora, Gr meros, a part, moira, lot, fate

transitive verb