de·mer·it

(dĭ-mĕr′ĭt)

a. A quality or characteristic deserving of blame or censure; a fault.

b. Absence of merit.

2. A mark made against one's record for a fault or for misconduct.

[Middle English demerite, offense, from Old French desmerite, from Latin dēmeritum, from neuter past participle of dēmerēre, to deserve : dē-, de- + merēre, to earn; see (s)mer- in Indo-European roots.]

de·mer′i·to′ri·ous (-tôr′ē-əs) adj.

de·mer′i·to′ri·ous·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

demerit

(diːˈmɛrɪt; ˈdiːˌmɛrɪt)

1. something, esp conduct, that deserves censure

2. (Education) US and Canadian a mark given against a person for failure or misconduct, esp in schools or the armed forces

3. (Military) US and Canadian a mark given against a person for failure or misconduct, esp in schools or the armed forces

4. a fault or disadvantage

[C14 (originally: worth, later specialized to mean: something worthy of blame): from Latin dēmerērī to deserve]

deˌmeriˈtorious adj

deˌmeriˈtoriously adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•mer•it

(dɪˈmɛr ɪt)

n.

1. a mark against a person for misconduct or deficiency.

2. the quality of being censurable; fault; culpability.

3. Obs. offense.

[1350–1400; Middle English (< Old French desmerite) < Medieval Latin dēmeritum fault, n. use of neuter past participle of Latin dēmerēre to earn, win the favor of (dē- taken in Medieval Latin as privative, hence pejorative). See de-, merit]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	demerit - a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces; "ten demerits and he loses his privileges" stigma, stain, brand, mark - a symbol of disgrace or infamy; "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain"--Genesis
	2.	demerit - 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" fault worth - the quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful merit, virtue - any admirable quality or attribute; "work of great merit"

Translations

demerito

demerit

[diːˈmerɪt] N (usu pl) → demérito m, desmerecimiento m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

demerit

[diːˈmɛrɪt] n (= weak point) → démérite m
the demerits of sb/sth → les démérites de qn/qch

demerit

n → Schwäche f, → Fehler m; (dated US: = black mark) → Minuspunkt m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

demerit

[diːˈmɛrɪt] n (frm) → difetto