Emily Dickinson Lexicon

MER'IT, n. [L. meritum, from mereo, to earn or deserve; It. and Sp. merito; Fr. merite.]

1. Desert; goodness or excellence which entitles one to honor or reward; worth; any performance or worth which claims regard or compensation; applied to morals, to excellence in writing, or to valuable services of any kind. Thus we speak of the inability of men to obtain salvation by their own merits. We speak of the merits of an author; the merits of a soldier, &c.
2. Value; excellence; applied to things; as, the merits of an essay or poem; the merits of a painting; the merits of a heroic achievement.
3. Reward deserved; that which is earned or merited. Those laurel groves, the merits of thy youth. Prior.