merIstem

[Gr. meristos =divisible.] Bot.: A congeries of growing cells, or cells capable of division. měr-it, *mer-ite, subst . [Fr. mérite , from Lat. meritum that which is deserved; neut. sing. of merit us , pa. par. of mere or =to deserve; Sp., Port. & Ital. meri to .] *1. The quality of deserving, whether well or ill. desert of good or evil. 2. The quality of deserving well; excellence deserving honor or reward; desert, worth, worthine . 3. That which is deserved, earned, or merited; a reward, return, or recompense earned or merited; deserts. "All power I give thee; reign for ever, and a ume Milton: P. L. , iii. 319. Thy merits." 4. Pl.: The e ential circumstances of a case or matter, without reference to extraneous matters; the rights and wrongs of a case; as, to decide a case on its merits. *merit-monger, s. One who supports the doctrine of human merit as entitled to reward, or who depends upon merit for salvation.