demerit

de·mer·it  (d-mrt)

n.

1.

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.

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[Middle English demerite, offense, from Old French desmerite, from Latin dmeritum, from neuter past participle of dmerre, to deserve : d-, de- + merre, to earn; see (s)mer-² in Indo-European roots.]

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de·meri·tori·ous (-tôr-s, -tr-) adj.

de·meri·tori·ous·ly adv.

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demerit

Noun

1. a fault or disadvantage

2. US & Canad a mark given against a student for failure or misconduct

Thesaurus

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"