meritorius

Forms

meritōrius (feminine meritōria, neuter meritōrium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin mereō (“to earn, deserve”) + -tōrius.^[2][1][3] De Vaan reconstructs that verb as Proto-Italic *mer-ē- (“to earn”) and, with a question mark, Proto-Indo-European *(s)mr-eh1- (“to earn”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,^[5] who uses it in the Philippics of boys who sold themselves for money, puerī meritōriī.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In general it describes anything let out or done for pay: Suetonius has hired carriages and a rented attic room, Seneca a call paid in the hope of profit, and Pliny the Younger baths for hire.^[6][7] As a neuter plural noun, meritōria were lodgings let out for short periods, in Juvenal and in Ulpian.^[2][6] Suetonius also uses it of prostitutes, and in Firmicus Maternus the neuter meritōrium is a brothel.^[6][7] Medieval and Ecclesiastical Latin gave it a new sense from meritum, merit: earning merit, deserving of grace, worthy.^[8][9] English meritorious took that sense, first “deserving of divine grace”.^[3]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of boys who sell themselves.^[6][5]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses the neuter plural of hired lodgings.^[2][5]
• c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of hired carriages.^[6][5]
• 343/350 AD – Firmicus Maternus uses the neuter for a brothel.^[6][5]
• early 15th century – English meritorious is recorded, meaning “deserving of divine grace”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Let out for a price, hired; earning money.^[2][6]
2. Earning money by prostitution.^[6]
3. (Medieval Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin) Earning merit, meritorious, deserving.^[8][9]

Noun

1. (neuter plural) Hired lodgings.^[2][6]
2. (Late Latin, neuter singular) A brothel.^[6][7]

Related words

• mereō
• meritum
• English meritorious

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson