English

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Etymology

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From merit +‎ -ious.

Adjective

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meritious (not comparable)

  1. Having merit.
    • 1644, Elias Arnold, translation of David Pareus, A Commentary Upon the Divine Revelation of the Apostle and Evangelist John, p. 146:
      Yet God forbid, we should with Ribera attribute this reward, to any meritorious worke: seeing a far other meritious cause thereof is noted unto us ver. 14. & 17.

Usage notes

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Primarily used in the collocation “meritious service”. Also used in a legal context (“meritious claims”) and religious context (“meritious deeds”).

Synonyms

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