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mĕrĕo, ŭi, ĭtum, 2, v. a., and mĕrĕor, ĭtus, 2, v. dep. [cf. Gr. μέρος, μείρομαι, μόρος, etc.; hence, to receive one’s share; cf. II. below], to deserve, merit, to be entitled to, be worthy of a thing; constr. with acc., with ut, with ne, with inf., and absol.

  1. I. In gen.
          1. (α) With acc.: mereri praemia, Caes. B. G. 7, 34: laudem, id. ib. 1, 40, 5; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 18, 60: nec minimum decus, Hor. A. P. 286: amorem, Quint. 6 prooem.: favorem aut odium, id. 4, 1, 44: gratiam nullam, Liv. 45, 24, 7; Quint. 4, 9, 32: fidem, Vell. 2, 104 fin.: summum honorem, Juv. 6, 532: supplicium, id. 6, 219.
          2. (β) With ut: respondit, sese meruisse, ut decoraretur, Cic. de Or. 1, 54, 232.
          3. (γ) With ne: mereri, ne quis, Plin. 35, 2, 2, § 8.
          4. (δ) With inf.: quae merui vitio perdere cuncta meo, Ov. Tr. 5, 11, 16: credi, Quint. 10, 1, 72: sanctus haberi, Juv. 8, 25.
            (ε) Absol.: dignitatem meam, si mereor, tuearis, if I deserve it, Cic. Fam. 10, 17, 3.
            In a bad sense: meruisse supplicium, Ov. M. 5, 666.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. To earn, gain, get, obtain, acquire: quid meres? quantillo argenti te conduxit Pseudulus? Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 95: iste, qui meret HS. vicenos, Varr. ap. Non. 4, 296: non amplius duodecim aeris, Cic. Rosc. Com. 10, 28: ne minus gratiae praecipiendo recta quam offensae reprendendo prava mereamur, Quint. 4, 2, 39: nomen patronorum, id. 6, 4, 5: indulgentiam, principis ingenio, Tac. Dial. 9 fin.: nomen gloriamque merere, id. H. 2, 37: famam, id. ib. 2, 31; id. A. 15, 6: ancillā natus diadema Quirini meruit, Juv. 8, 260: odium, Caes. B. G. 6, 5, 3: quantum quisque uno die mereret, Suet. Calig. 40 fin.: aera, Hor. A. P. 345.
      With ut (rare): quem ego ut non excruciem, alterum tantum auri non meream, would not give up torturing him for, etc., Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 65: neque ille sibi mereat Persarum montes … ut istuc faciat, would not do it for, etc., id. Stich. 1, 1, 24.
    2. B. To get by purchase, to buy, purchase: uxores, quae vos dote meruerunt, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 124: quid arbitramini Rheginos merere velle, ut ab eis marmorea Venus illa auferatur? what do you think they would take? for what price would they let it be carried away? Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 60, § 135: gloriam, Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 13: legatum a creditore, Dig. 35, 2, 21: noxam, Petr. 139: quid Minyae meruere queri? to have reason, cause, Val. Fl. 1, 519.
    3. C. In milit. lang., mereri and merere stipendia, or simply merere (lit., to earn pay), to serve for pay, to serve as a soldier, serve in the army: mereri stipendia, Cic. Cael. 5, 11: meruit stipendia in eo bello, id. Mur. 5, 12: adulescens patre suo imperatore meruit, id. ib.: complures annos, Caes. B. G. 7, 17: triennio sub Hannibale, Liv. 21, 4 fin.: Romanis in castris, Tac. A. 2, 10: in Thracia, Suet. Vesp. 2: merere equo, to serve on horseback, in the cavalry, Cic. Phil. 1, 8, 20: merere pedibus, to serve on foot, in the infantry, Liv. 24, 18: mereri aere (al. equo) publico, Varr. ap. Non. 345, 2.
    4. D. Mereri (ante-class., merere) de aliquo, or de aliquā re, to deserve or merit any thing of one, to behave in any manner towards one, in a good or bad sense (in Plaut. also with erga): te ego, ut digna es, perdam, atque ut de me meres, Plaut. As. 1, 2, 22: ut erga me est merita, id. Am. 5, 1, 49: nam de te neque re neque verbis merui, ut faceres quod facis, id. Aul. 2, 2, 45: saepe (erga me; sc. illam) meritam quod vellem scio, that she has often treated me as I desired, Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 37.
      Esp.: bene, male, optime, etc., mereri, to deserve well, ill, etc.: de mendico male meretur, qui ei dat, etc., Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 58: de re publicā bene mereri, Cic. Fam. 10, 5, 2: de populi Romani nomine, id. Brut. 73, 254: melius de quibusdam acerbos inimicos mereri, quam eos amicos, qui dulces videantur, id. Lael. 24, 90: de re publica meruisse optime, id. Att. 10, 4, 5: perniciosius de re publicā merentur vitiosi principes, id. Leg. 3, 14, 32: stet haec urbs praeclara, quoquo modo merita de me erit, id. Mil. 34, 93: Paulus, qui nihil meruit, i. e. was innocent, Lact. 2, 16, 17: ita se omni tempore de populo Romano meritos esse, ut, Caes. B. G. 1, 11: Caesarem imperatorem bene de republicā meritum, deserving well, id. B. C. 1, 13: optime cum de se meritum judicabat, id. ib. 3, 99: milites mirifice de re publicā meriti, Cic. Fam. 12, 12, 3: homines de me divinitus meriti, id. Red. in Sen. 12, 30; cf.: te ego ut digna’s perdam atque ut de me meres, Plaut. As. 1, 2, 22.
      Hence,
      1. 1. mĕrens, entis, P. a., that deserves or merits any thing; in a good sense, deserving; in a bad sense, guilty; that has rendered himself deserving towards any one or of any thing; with de, rarely with dat.; esp. with bene, well-deserving (mostly poet. and post-class.): consul laudare, increpare merentes, Sall. J. 100: laurea decreta merenti, Ov. P. 2, 2, 91: quem periisse, ita de re publicā merentem, doleo, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 344, 23; so Inscr. Grut. 933, 5.
        With dat.: quando tu me bene merentem tibi habes despicatui, Plaut. Men. 4, 3, 19.
        In sup.: HOMINI BENE MERENTISSIMO, Inscr. Rein. cl. 16, 8; Inscr. Grut. 932, 7; ib. 1129, 3.
      2. 2. mĕrĭtus, a, um, P. a.
        1. a. Deserving: meriti juvenci, Verg. G. 2, 515.
          Sup.: filiae meritissimae, Inscr. Rein. cl. 5, 35.
        2. b. Pass., deserved, due, fit, just, proper, right: ignarus, laus an poena merita esset, Liv. 8, 7: triumphus, id. 39, 4, 6: iracundiam, neque eam injustam, sed meritam ac debitam fuisse, just, Cic. de Or. 2, 50, 203: mors, Verg. A 4, 696: noxia, committed, perpetrated, Plaut. Trin. 1, 1, 1: meritis de causis, for merited, i. e. just reasons, Dig. 48, 20.
          Sup.: famā optimā et meritissimā frui, Plin. Ep. 5, 15.
          Hence,
      3. 3. mĕrĭtum, i, n.
        1. a. That which one deserves, desert; in a good sense, reward, recompense; in a bad sense, punishment (only ante- and postclass.): nihil suave meritum est, Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 75: specta denique, quale caelesti providentia meritum reportaverit, reward, punishment, App. M. 8, p. 214: delictorum, Tert. Apol. 21.
        2. b. That by which one deserves any thing of another, a merit; esp. in a good sense, a service, kindness, benefit, favor (class.): propter eorum (militum) divinum atque immortale meritum, Cic. Phil. 3, 6, 14: pro singulari eorum merito, id. Cat. 3, 6, 15: magnitudo tuorum erga me meritorum, id. Fam. 1, 1, 1: et hercule merito tuo feci, according to your merits, as you deserved, id. Att. 5, 11, 6: pro ingentibus meritis praemia acceperant, Tac. A. 14, 53: recordatio ingentium meritorum, Liv. 39, 49, 11; Curt. 8, 3, 14; Suet. Ner. 3; Sen. Ben. 3, 8, 2.
          In Plaut. also in the sup.: meritissimo ejus, quae volet faciemus, on account of his great merit, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 147: merita dare et recipere, Cic. Lael. 8, 26: magna ejus sunt in me non dico officia, sed merita, id. Fam. 11, 17, 1.
          Also demerit, blame, fault: Caesar, qui a me nullo meo merito alienus esse debebat, without any fault of mine, id. Sest. 17, 39: nullo meo in se merito, although I am guilty of no offence against him, Liv. 40, 15: leniter, ex merito quicquid patiare, ferendum est, Ov. H. 5, 7: ex cujusque merito scio me fecisse, Liv. 26, 31, 9: quosdam punivit, alios praemiis adfecit, neutrum ex merito, Tac. H. 4, 50; cf.: quod ob meritum nostrum succensuistis? Liv. 25, 6, 4.
    5. B. Transf., worth, value, importance of a thing (poet. and post-class.): quo sit merito quaeque notata dies, Ov. F. 1, 7: negotiorum, Cod. Just. 8, 5, 2: aedificia majoris meriti, of greater value, Cod. Th. 15, 1, 30: loci, Mart. 8, 65, 7: primi saporis mella thymi sucus effundit, secundi meriti thymbra, tertii meriti rosmarinus, Pall. 1, 37, 3.
      1. 4. mĕrĭtō, adv., according to desert, deservedly, justly, often connected with jure (class.): quamquam merito sum iratus Metello, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 68, § 158: merito ac jure laudantur, id. Cat. 3, 6, 14; cf.: te ipse jure optimo, merito incuses, licet, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 23: recte ac merito commovebamur, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 67, § 172: merito jam suspectus, Juv. 3, 221; 10, 208.
        Sup.: meritissimo te magni facio, Turp. ap. Non. 139, 17; Caecil. ib. 18: me deridere meritissumo, Plaut. Ep. 3, 3, 49; Cic. de Or. 1, 55, 234; S. C. ap. Plin. Ep. 8, 6, 6; ap. Flor. 1, 9.
        Post-class.: meritissime, Sol. 7, 18.
        1. b. In partic.: libens (lubens) merito, a form of expression used in paying vows; v. libens, under libet.

mĕrĭtus, a, um, Part. and P. a., from mereo, q. v. fin. B.