merens

Forms

merēns (genitive merentis, superlative merentissimus); third-declension one-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is the present participle of mereō (“to earn, deserve”), used as an adjective.^[1][2] De Vaan traces mereō to Proto-Italic *mer-ē- (“to earn”) and, with a question mark, Proto-Indo-European *(s)mr̥-eh₁- (“to earn”), comparing Ancient Greek μείρομαι (meíromai, “to receive one's share”) and Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part, share”).^[3] He finds the formation of the verb problematic.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Of persons it means deserving, worthy of esteem, above all in ⟨bene merēns⟩, sometimes written as one word.^[1] Epitaphs dedicate tombs to the well-deserving dead, and in some inscriptions ⟨benemerentes⟩ describes the people who set up the tomb, as in Christian inscriptions put up by parents.^[5] The Culex uses it absolutely of a benefactor.^[5] An inscription has the superlative ⟨merentissimus⟩ for a freedman.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[4]
• 250 AD – An inscription has benemerentes of the people who set up a column.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of persons, deserving, worthy of esteem;^[1][5] bene merēns, well-deserving.^[1][5]
2. Used as a noun, a benefactor.^[5]

Related words

• mereō
• immerēns
• meritō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften