Where does “meritlessness” come from?
meritlessness (English) comes from English meritless, from English merit, from Middle English merit, from Anglo-Norman merit, from Old French merite, from Latin meritum, from Latin meritus, from Latin mereō — to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to...
meritlessness (English): The state or condition of being meritless
Definitions
- The state or condition of being meritless
Ancestry of “meritlessness”, step by step
meritlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English meritless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | meritless | Without merit |
| 2 | English | merit | A claim to commendation or a reward; A mark or... |
| 3 | Middle English | merit | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | merit | — |
| 5 | Old French | merite | merit |
| 6 | Latin | meritum | merit, service, deserts; value, reward, benefit,... |
| 7 | Latin | meritus | earned, deserved, obtained, due, proper, right,... |
| 8 | Latin | mereō | to deserve, merit |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mer- | to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to... |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |