merIt, meryt

t. & i. [Fr. mériter, from mérite merit (q.v.); Sp. meritar; Ital. merit are; Lat. meri to, frequent. of mere or =to deserve.] A. Transitive: 1. To deserve, whether good or ill; to earn; to be entitled to receive; to incur. 2. To deserve, as a reward; to earn, to have a right to claim, to have a just title or claim to. "Those best can bear reproof who merit praise." Pope: E ay on Criticism, 583. 3. To reward. "The king will merit it with gifts."- Chapman . B. In trans.: To acquire merit, to become deserving. †mer-It-a-ble, a. [Eng. merit; -able.] Deserving of reward; meritorious. "The people generally are very acceptive, and apt to applaud any merit able work."-Ben Jonson: Case is Al tered, ii. 4. měr-it-ěd, pa. par. & a. [MERIT, v.] měr'-it-ěd-ly, adv. [English merited; -ly.] In accordance with merit or deserts; deservedly; worthily. "A pleasant little town, once esteemed for its delicious ne , but now much more and more meritedly famous for its ruin."-Boyle: Works, i. 23. deserves or merits. měr'-It-er, s. [Eng. merit, v.; -er.] One who