Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meritless” come from?

meritless (English) comes from English merit, from Middle English merit, from Anglo-Norman merit, from Old French merite, from Latin meritum, from Latin meritus, from Latin mereō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mer- — to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to...

meritless (English): Without merit

Definitions

  1. Without merit

Ancestry of “meritless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeritA claim to commendation or a reward; A mark or...
2Middle Englishmerit—
3Anglo-Normanmerit—
4Old Frenchmeritemerit
5Latinmeritummerit, service, deserts; value, reward, benefit,...
6Latinmeritusearned, deserved, obtained, due, proper, right,...
7Latinmereō—
8Proto-Indo-European(s)mer-to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to...

Words derived from “meritless”

  • meritlessness
  • meritlessly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mer- →