demerit
noun /diːˈmerɪt/
/diːˈmerɪt/
(formal)- [usually plural] a fault in something or a disadvantage of something
- the merits and demerits of the scheme
- (North American English) a mark on somebody’s school record showing that they have done something wrong
- You'll get three demerits if you're caught smoking on school grounds.
Word Originlate Middle English (also in the sense ‘merit’): from Old French desmerite or Latin demeritum ‘something deserved’, neuter past participle of demereri, from de- ‘thoroughly’ (also understood in medieval Latin as denoting reversal) + mereri ‘to merit’.