Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. The state or condition of being meritless

Ancestry of “meritlessness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeritlessWithout merit
2EnglishmeritA claim to commendation or a reward; A mark or...
3Middle Englishmerit—
4Anglo-Normanmerit—
5Old Frenchmeritemerit
6Latinmeritummerit, service, deserts; value, reward, benefit,...
7Latinmeritusearned, deserved, obtained, due, proper, right,...
8Latinmereō—
9Proto-Indo-European(s)mer-to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to...
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