Meaning Of Merit

n.

The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.
n.

Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.
n.

Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.
n.

To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.
n.

To reward.
v. i.

To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.