Where does “meritocrat” come from?
meritocrat (English) comes from English ‐o‐, from English -prim, from English trimethoprim, from English trimethoxy, from English methoxy, from English oxy-, from English oxygen, from French oxygène — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
meritocrat (English): An advocate of meritocracy
Definitions
- An advocate of meritocracy
Ancestry of “meritocrat”, step by step
meritocrat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ‐o‐
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐o‐ | — |
| 2 | English | -prim | Used to form names of trimethoprim derivatives acting as |
| 3 | English | trimethoprim | A synthetic antibiotic used to treat malaria and... |
| 4 | English | trimethoxy | Three methoxy groups in a molecule |
| 5 | English | methoxy | The univalent radical CH-O- derived from methanol |
| 6 | English | oxy- | Sharp, keen, acute, pungent, acid; Concerning... |
| 7 | English | oxygen | The chemical element with an atomic number of 8... |
| 8 | French | oxygène | oxygen; inflection of oxygéner: ##... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | γένος | offspring, descendant; family, clan; nation, race |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | génos | family; race |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via English merit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | merit | A claim to commendation or a reward; A mark or... |
| 2 | Middle English | merit | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | merit | — |
| 4 | Old French | merite | merit |
| 5 | Latin | meritum | merit, service, deserts; value, reward, benefit,... |
| 6 | Latin | meritus | earned, deserved, obtained, due, proper, right,... |
| 7 | Latin | mereō | to deserve, merit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mer- | to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to... |