meritare Italian · revision 39072

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1294, Guittone d'Arezzo|origins=la mereō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /me.riˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''meritare''' (first-person singular present mèrito, first-person singular past historic meritài, past participle meritàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ The literary form is [[mertare]], with the vowel before the stress lost.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Old Italian also wrote [[m|roa-oit|meretare]].^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|meritō|t=to earn; to serve for pay]], a learned word according to DEI and the GDLI.^(DEI)^(DEI|2431)^(GDLI)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003) The Latin verb is an intensive formed on [[m|la|meritus]], the past participle of [[m|la|mereō|t=to earn; to deserve]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wikizionario) [[m|la|meritō|alt=Meritāre]] is recorded from Cato and Cicero with the sense “to earn, draw pay”.^(de Vaan 2008) The same verb gave [[fr|mériter]], recorded from the 14th century.^(DEI|2431)

+

+ De Vaan reconstructs [[itc-pro|*mer-ē-|t=to earn]] and, with a question mark, a root [[ine-pro|*(s)mer-|t=to receive one's share]]; the cognates are [[grc|μείρομαι|tr=meíromai|t=to receive one's share]] and [[m|grc|μέρος|tr=méros|t=part, share]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Devoto 1968) Devoto adds [[hit|mark-|t=to divide]] and suggests the root first meant drawing one's share to oneself and took on a moral sense in Latin.^(Devoto 1968)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb appears in the 13th century, as ''mertare'' in Guittone d'Arezzo (before 1294) and as ''meritare'' in the Sicilian poet Iacopo Mostacci, meaning “to be worthy to have or receive”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Guittone advises never to take anything ''senza mertarla pria'', “without first deserving it”.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 13th and 14th centuries the verb also meant “to reward”, a sense now archaic: Dante speaks of ''lo re, che merta i suoi servi'', “the king who rewards his servants”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DEI|2431)^(Zingarelli 2010) The causative “to win for someone, to bring” is recorded before 1342 in Domenico Cavalca, and the intransitive “to deserve well of, to earn merit”, especially in a moral sense, in Dante (1300–1313).^(DELI 1999) In theology the verb named the earning of spiritual merit: Fra Giordano writes that we cannot merit anything by ourselves.^(GDLI)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ The colloquial sense “to be worth (a price)” is recorded before 1750 in Muratori.^(DELI 1999) The impersonal ''non merita'', “it is not worth it”, and the intensive ''meritarsi'' are current today.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010) The Tuscan proverb ''chi non mi vuol non mi merita'', “whoever does not want me does not deserve me”, is a proud reply to a rebuff.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – Iacopo Mostacci uses ''meritare''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses the form ''mertare''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses the verb for earning merit.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – French ''mériter'' is recorded.^(DEI|2431)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for “to bring, win for someone”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1750 – Muratori uses it for “to be worth”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|deserve]]: to be worthy of a reward, or of a punishment: ''Dopo tanto lavoro meritavi una promozione.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To deserve to do or that something happen, with ''di'' and an infinitive or ''che'' and the subjunctive: ''La squadra ha meritato di vincere la partita.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(impersonal)'' To be worth it, to be worth the trouble: ''Non merita arrabbiarsi per così poco.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To be worth a price: ''Quella bicicletta non merita la cifra che chiedono.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To win something for someone, to bring: ''La sua scoperta gli ha meritato un premio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(literary)'' ''Meritare di'': to [[m|en|deserve well of]], to render service to: ''ben meritare della patria''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To [[m|en|reward]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[meritevole]]

+ * [[demeritare]]

+ * [[rimeritare]]

+ * [[smeritare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[merito]]

+ * [[meritorio]]

+ * [[la|mereō]]

+ * [[fr|mériter]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The pronominal form ''meritarsi'' stresses that the thing is deserved, good or bad, and ''meritarsela'' is said of a deserved misfortune.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}