| 释义 |
▪ I. demerit, n.|dɪˈmɛrɪt|
[a. F. démérite, or ad. L. dēmeritum, f. ppl. stem of L. dēmerērī to merit, deserve, f. de- I. 3 + merērī to deserve, meritum desert, merit. In Romanic the prefix appears to have been taken in a privative sense (de- I. 6), hence med.L. dēmeritum fault, It. demerito, F. démérite (14th c. in Littré) ‘desert, merite, deseruing; also (the contrarie) a disseruice, demerite, midseed..(in which sence it is most commonly used at this day)’, Cotgr.]
†1. Merit, desert, deserving (in a good or indifferent sense). Freq. in pl. Obs.
1399Rolls of Parlt. III. 424/1 Your owne Wordes..that ye were not worthy..ne able, for to governe for your owne Demerites. 1447Will of Hen. VI in Carter King's Coll. Chapel i. 13 His most fereful and last dome when every man shal..be examined and demed after his demeritees. 1490Caxton Eneydos, xxiv. 91 A mercyfull god and pyteous wylle retrybue hym iustely alle after his demeryte. 1548Hall Chron. 151 b, For his demerites, called the good duke of Gloucester. 1548Udall Erasm. Paraphr. Luke 3 a, Your demerites are so ferre aboue all prayses of man. 1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 233 Worldly happines beyond all reason and demerit. 1607Shakes. Cor. i. i. 276 Opinion that so stickes on Marcius, shall Of his demerits rob Cominius. 1632J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena Ep. Ded. A iij b, Considering your known noble demerits, and princely courtesie. 1731Gay in Swift's Lett. Wks. 1841 II. 665 Envy not the demerits of those who are most conspicuously distinguished.
†b. That by which one obtains merit; a meritorious or deserving act. Obs.
1548W. Patten Exped. Scotl. Pref., What thanks then..for these his notable demerits ought our Protector to receive of his? 1601Holland Pliny I. 456 It is reputed a singular demerit and gracious act, not to kill a citizen of Rome. 1655M. Carter Hon. Rediv. (1660) 8 The first atchiever in any Stock whatever, was a new man ennobled for some demerit.
2. Desert in a bad sense: quality deserving blame or punishment; ill-desert; censurable conduct: opposed to merit. In later use, sometimes, deficiency or want of merit.
1509Barclay Shyp of Folys (1570) ⁋⁋ iij, To assemble these fooles in one bande, And their demerites worthily to note. 1643Sir T. Browne Relig. Med. (1656) i. §53 The one being so far beyond our deserts, the other so infinitely below our demerits. 1675Traherne Chr. Ethics xiv. 193 The least sin is of infinite demerit; because it breaketh the union between God and the soul. 1700Dryden Fables, Meleager & Atal. 327 Mine is the merit, the demerit thine. 1741Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 155 God teach me humility, and to know my own demerit! 1851Dixon W. Penn xxxii. (1872) 308 It is no demerit in Penn that he did not see at once the evil. 1865Lecky Ration. (1878) I. 357 The rationalistic doctrine of personal merit and demerit.
†b. A blameworthy act, sin, offence. (Almost always in pl.). Obs.
1485Act 1 Hen. VII, c. 4 Priests..culpable, or by their Demerits openly reported of incontinent living in their Bodies. 1494Fabyan vii. 507 Some there were that for theyr demerytys were adiugyd to perpetuall prysone. 1549Compl. Scot. iii. 27 That samyn boreau is stikkit or hangit eftiruart for his cruel demeritis. 1605Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 226 Not for their owne demerits, but for mine Fell slaughter on their soules. a1637B. Jonson Underwoods, Misc. Poems lvi, There is no father that for one demerit, Or two, or three, a son will disinherit.
c. transf. As a quality of things: Fault, defect.
1832Lewis Use & Ab. Pol. Terms vi. 62 The merits or demerits of hereditary royalty. 1855Singleton Virgil I. Pref. 2 Which has, it may be, the demerit of being new.
†3. That which is merited (esp. for ill doing); desert; punishment deserved. Obs.
1621Cade Serm. 12 But Ahab..had quickly his demerits, being destroyed, and al his seed. 1728Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 393 Many members of the Assembly thought deposition the demerit of what was already found.
4. A penalty mark awarded as a punishment for misconduct, poor work, etc., esp. in schools or the Services; a ‘black’ mark. Also demerit mark, demerit point. orig. U.S.
1862G. C. Strong Cadet Life at West Point 150 The more immediate penalty is the demerit. 1877R. J. Burdette Rise & Fall of Mustache 311 Got three demerit marks for drawing a picture of her [sc. a teacher]. 1903Daily Chron. 20 Feb. 3/3 The smallest breach of any one of them [sc. military regulations] is visited by a ‘demerit’ mark. 1966D. Bagley Wyatt's Hurricane ii. 40 There have been a few cases, you know, mostly among the enlisted men, and they've got shipped back to the States with a big black demerit to spend a year or two in the stockade. 1976N.Z. Financial Times 10 Dec. 18/1 Demerit points are recorded against an employee for unsatisfactory work attendance. 1980L. Birnbach et al. Official Preppy Handbk. 43/2 The process..has its uncomfortable aspects: rules, parietals, demerits, and disciplinary action.
▪ II. demerit, v.|dɪˈmɛrɪt|
[f. L. dēmerit-, ppl. stem of dēmerērī to deserve (see prec.); partly after F. démériter (16th c. in Hatzf.), to merit disapproval, fail to merit.]
†1.
a. trans. To merit, deserve, be worthy of (good or evil; sometimes spec. the latter, and opposed to merit). Obs.
1538J. Husee Let. Visct. Lisle 12 Jan. in Lisle Papers V. 19 The caitiff..shall suffer such pains as he hath demerited. 1548Udall Erasm. Par. Pref. 5 If I have demerited any love or thanke. 1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus iii. 7 Any matter or meanes demeriting the fauour of God. 1619H. Hutton Follies Anat. (1842) 26 These are the subjects which demerit blame. 1657Tomlinson Renou's Disp. 570 Those that compose..Antidotaries..think they demerit much praise. 1711Bp. Wilson in Keble Life ix. (1863) 283 Such sentence..as the nature of your crime shall demerit.
†b. To obtain by merit, to earn (favour, love, etc.). Obs.
1555Eden Decades 25 They browght with them.. to demerite the fauour of owre men great plentie of vytayles. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xv. §110 His Princely desire to aduance their weale, and demerit their loue. 1613T. Godwin Rom. Antiq. (1674) 96 Noblemen..sometimes, to demerit the Emperour his love endangered their lives in this fight.
†c. To earn favour of (a person). Obs.
1597J. King On Jonas (1618) 389 A Priest of Baal will cut and launce his owne flesh to demerite his idoll. 1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus iii. 5 The likeliest things to demerit God: as workes of righteousnesse. a1656Hales Gold. Rem. (1688) 37 To demerit by all courtesie the men of meaner Rank.
2.
†a. To deprive of merit, to take away the merit of, disparage. Obs.
1576J. Woolton Chr. Manual C iv. (L.), Faith by her own dignity and worthiness doth not demerit justice and righteousness. a1643W. Cartwright Siege i. i, My lofty widdow, Who, if that I had dignity, hath promis'd T' accept my person, will be hence demerited.
b. To lower in status by giving an unfavourable assessment of conduct. U.S.
1895Century Mag. Oct. 843/2 He stands a fair chance of being demerited and punished until his hope of release before he is of age is almost extinguished.
3. To fail to merit; to deserve to lose or be without.
1654Cokaine Dianea iii. 217 Wherein hath the unfortunate Doricia demerited thy affections? 1754Richardson Grandison (1781) V. xxxii. 208 A blessing that once was designed for him, and which he is not accused of demeriting by misbehaviour. 1865Trench Synon. N.T. §47 (1876) 163 It is unearned and unmerited, or indeed demerited, as the faithful man will most freely acknowledge.
†4.
a. intr. To incur demerit or guilt; to merit disapproval or blame, deserve ill. Obs.
1604Parsons 3rd Pt. Three Convers. Eng. 122 The soules in Purgatory may meritt and demeritt; nor are sure yet of their saluation. 1605B. Jonson Volpone iv. ii, I will be tender to his reputation, How euer he demerit. a1677Barrow Serm. (1687) I. 478 For us, who deserved nothing from him, who had demerited so much against him. a1734North Lives (1826) I. 96 For he was..the kings servant already, and had not demerited.
†b. trans. To earn or incur in the way of demerit.
1635Shelford Learned Disc. 140 (T.) Adam demerited but one sin to his posterity, viz. original, which cannot be augmented. |