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 a demerit if you're late to class.
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’.
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demerit