Meritoriousness

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Meritorious \Mer`i*to"ri*ous\, a. [L. meritorius that brings in
     money.]
     Possessing merit; deserving of reward or honor; worthy of
     recompense; valuable.
     [1913 Webster]
  


           And meritorious shall that hand be called,
           Canonized, and worshiped as a saint.     --Shak.
     [1913 Webster] -- {Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ly}, adv. --
     {Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ness}, n.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  meritoriousness
       n : the quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance);
           "there were many children whose deservingness he
           recognized and rewarded" [syn: {deservingness}, {merit}]