mereo

Latin

Alternative forms

• (deponent form) mereor

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *merēō, from earlier *merējō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mr̥-éh₁-yeti, from *(s)mer- (“to assign, allot”).

Cognate of Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “share, portion”). See also Latin merx, Ancient Greek μείρομαι (meíromai, “to receive as one's portion or due”) and Hittite 𒈥𒀝𒍣 (mar-ak-zi /⁠marktsi⁠/, “to cut up, divide (a sacrifice), separate, unravel”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈme.re.oː/, [ˈmɛreoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈme.re.o/, [ˈmɛːreo]

Verb

mereō (present infinitive merēre, perfect active meruī, supine meritum); second conjugation

1. to deserve, merit
   • 8 CE – 12 CE, Ovid, Sorrows 1.2.95:

     et iubet et meruī

     And he commands [it], and I deserved [it]

2. to earn, get, obtain, acquire

   Synonyms: acquīrō, adipīscor, cōnsequor, lucror, parō, pariō, impetrō, sūmō, emō, comparō, apīscor, obtineō, potior, inveniō, conciliō, nancīscor, colligō, alliciō

   Antonym: āmittō

3. to serve, to render service to (with ablative of the person or thing interested)

   Synonym: prōsum

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.17:

     sic se complures anuos illo imperante meruisse

     that they had served to him for many years as commander

4. to earn a living

Conjugation

   Conjugation of mereō (second conjugation)

indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	mereō	merēs	meret	merēmus	merētis	merent
	imperfect	merēbam	merēbās	merēbat	merēbāmus	merēbātis	merēbant
	future	merēbō	merēbis	merēbit	merēbimus	merēbitis	merēbunt
	perfect	meruī	meruistī	meruit	meruimus	meruistis	meruērunt, meruēre
	pluperfect	merueram	meruerās	meruerat	meruerāmus	meruerātis	meruerant
	future perfect	meruerō	merueris	meruerit	meruerimus	merueritis	meruerint
passive	present	mereor	merēris, merēre	merētur	merēmur	merēminī	merentur
	imperfect	merēbar	merēbāris, merēbāre	merēbātur	merēbāmur	merēbāminī	merēbantur
	future	merēbor	merēberis, merēbere	merēbitur	merēbimur	merēbiminī	merēbuntur
	perfect	meritus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	meritus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	meritus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	meream	mereās	mereat	mereāmus	mereātis	mereant
imperfect	merērem	merērēs	merēret	merērēmus	merērētis	merērent
perfect	meruerim	meruerīs	meruerit	meruerīmus	meruerītis	meruerint
pluperfect	meruissem	meruissēs	meruisset	meruissēmus	meruissētis	meruissent
passive	present	merear	mereāris, mereāre	mereātur	mereāmur	mereāminī	mereantur
imperfect	merērer	merērēris, merērēre	merērētur	merērēmur	merērēminī	merērentur
perfect	meritus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect	meritus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	merē	—	—	merēte	—
	future	—	merētō	merētō	—	merētōte	merentō
passive	present	—	merēre	—	—	merēminī	—
	future	—	merētor	merētor	—	—	merentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		merēre	meruisse	meritūrum esse	merērī	meritum esse	meritum īrī
participles		merēns	—	meritūrus	—	meritus	merendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		merendī	merendō	merendum	merendō	meritum	meritū

Synonyms

• (deserve): commereō, dignum esse
• (obtain): adipīscor, cōnsequor, exōrō, impetrō, nancīscor

Derived terms

• commereō
• dēmereō
• ēmereō
• merenda
• merēns
• meretrīx
• meritō
• meritōrius
• meritum
• meritus
• permereō
• prōmereō

Related terms

• merendārius
• merendō
• meritōrium
• meretrīcābilis
• meretrīciē
• meretrīcius
• meretrīcor
• meretrīcula

Descendants

• Italo-romance:
  • Sicilian:

    Calabrese: merire

• Gallo-Italic:
  • Old Lombard: merir
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: merir
    • Middle French: mérir
      • French: mérir (dialectal)
    • → English: merit
  • Old Catalan: merir
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Spanish: merer
    • Cebuano: mirisi
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *merēscere
  • Occitano-Romance:
    • Catalan: merèixer
  • Ibero-Romance:
    • Aragonese: mereixer, merexer
    • Asturian: merecer
    • Galician: merecer
    • Portuguese: merecer
    • Spanish: merecer
• Sardinian:
  • merèschere, medèsciri, meresci, merèsciri, merèssere

References

• “mereo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mereo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• mereo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to merit thanks; to do a thankworthy action: gratiam mereri
    
  • to deserve well at some one's hands; to do a service to..: bene, praeclare (melius, optime) mereri de aliquo
    
  • to deserve ill of a person; to treat badly: male mereri de aliquo
    
  • (ambiguous) to serve in the cavalry, infantry: equo, pedibus merere (Liv. 27. 11)
    
  • (ambiguous) to serve: stipendia facere, merere
    
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