mérite

merit, worth

noun meh-REET Rare

Origin: From Latin meritum, from merere (to deserve).

Usage Note

Mérite refers to qualities that deserve praise or reward — avoir le mérite de faire quelque chose (to deserve credit for doing something). The verb mériter (to deserve) is very common. The phrase sans mérite means without merit, while au mérite means based on merit.

Examples

"Son succès est dû à son mérite."

Natural Translation

His success is due to his own merit.

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