mer·it (m r  t)n. 1. a. Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit. b. A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late. 2. Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone. 3. An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval. Often used in the plural: judging people according to their merits. 4. Christianity Spiritual credit granted for good works. 5. merits a. Law A party's strict legal rights, excluding jurisdictional, personal, or technical aspects. b. The factual content of a matter, apart from emotional, contextual, or formal considerations. v. mer·it·ed, mer·it·ing, mer·its v.tr. To earn; deserve. See Synonyms at earn1. v.intr. To be worthy or deserving: Pupils are rewarded or corrected, as they merit. [Middle English, from Old French merite, reward or punishment, from Latin meritum, from neuter past participle of mer  re, to deserve; see (s)mer-2 in Indo-European roots.]mer it·less adj. |
merits [ˈmɛrɪts]
pl n
1. (Law) the actual and intrinsic rights and wrongs of an issue, esp in a law case, as distinct from extraneous matters and technicalities
on its (his, her, etc.) merits on the intrinsic qualities or virtues
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