demerit

[ dih-mer-it ]
/ dɪˈmɛr ɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR demerit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a mark against a person for misconduct or deficiency: If you receive four demerits during a term, you will be expelled from school.
the quality of being censurable or punishable; fault; culpability.
Obsolete. merit or desert.

Origin of demerit

1350–1400; Middle English (< Old French desmerite) < Medieval Latin dēmeritum fault, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin dēmerēre to earn, win the favor of ( dē- taken in ML as privative, hence pejorative). See de-, merit

OTHER WORDS FROM demerit

de·mer·i·to·ri·ous [dih-mer-i-tawr-ee-uh s, -tohr-] /dɪˌmɛr ɪˈtɔr i əs, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjective de·mer·i·to·ri·ous·ly, adverb

Words nearby demerit

dementia pugilistica, demento, demerara, demerge, demerger, demerit, demerol, demersal, demesne, demeter, demeton

Words related to demerit

punishment

Example sentences from the Web for demerit

British Dictionary definitions for demerit

demerit
/ (diːˈmɛrɪt, ˈdiːˌmɛrɪt) /

noun

something, esp conduct, that deserves censure
US and Canadian a mark given against a person for failure or misconduct, esp in schools or the armed forces
a fault or disadvantage

Derived forms of demerit

demeritorious, adjective demeritoriously, adverb

Word Origin for demerit

C14 (originally: worth, later specialized to mean: something worthy of blame): from Latin dēmerērī to deserve