Merit

·noun To Reward.

II. Merit ·noun The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.

III. Merit ·noun Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.

IV. Merit ·vi To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to Profit.

V. Merit ·noun Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.

VI. Merit ·noun 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.