mereo
Latin
Alternative forms
- (deponent form) mereor
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *merēō, cognate of Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “share, portion”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to assign, allot”)) + -eō. See also Latin merx, Ancient Greek μείρομαι (meíromai, “to receive as one's portion or due”) and Hittite 𒈥𒀝𒍣 (mar-ak-zi /marktsi/, “to cut up, divide (a sacrifice), separate, unravel”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈme.re.oː/, [ˈmɛreoː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈme.re.o/, [ˈmɛːreo]
Verb
mereō (present infinitive merēre, perfect active meruī, supine meritum); second conjugation
- I deserve, merit
- 8 CE – 12 CE, Ovid, Tristia 1.2.95:
- et iubet et meruī
- And he commands [it], and I deserved [it]
- et iubet et meruī
- I earn, get, obtain, acquire
- Synonyms: acquīrō, adipīscor, cōnsequor, parō, pariō, impetrō, sūmō, emō, comparō, apīscor, obtineō, potior, inveniō, conciliō, nancīscor, colligō, alliciō
- Antonym: āmittō
- I serve, I render service to (with ablative of the person or thing interested)
- Synonym: prōsum
- Caesar, de Bello Gallico VII, 17:
- sic se complures anuos illo imperante meruisse
- that they had served to him for many years as commander
- sic se complures anuos illo imperante meruisse
- I earn a living
Conjugation
| Conjugation of mereō (second conjugation) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | mereō | merēs | meret | merēmus | merētis | merent |
| imperfect | merēbam | merēbās | merēbat | merēbāmus | merēbātis | merēbant | |
| future | merēbō | merēbis | merēbit | merēbimus | merēbitis | merēbunt | |
| perfect | meruī | meruistī | meruit | meruimus | meruistis | meruērunt, meruēre | |
| pluperfect | merueram | meruerās | meruerat | meruerāmus | meruerātis | meruerant | |
| future perfect | meruerō | merueris | meruerit | meruerimus | merueritis | meruerint | |
| passive | present | mereor | merēris, merēre | merētur | merēmur | merēminī | merentur |
| imperfect | merēbar | merēbāris, merēbāre | merēbātur | merēbāmur | merēbāminī | merēbantur | |
| future | merēbor | merēberis, merēbere | merēbitur | merēbimur | merēbiminī | merēbuntur | |
| perfect | meritus + present active indicative of sum | ||||||
| pluperfect | meritus + imperfect active indicative of sum | ||||||
| future perfect | meritus + future active indicative of sum | ||||||
| subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | meream | mereās | mereat | mereāmus | mereātis | mereant |
| imperfect | merērem | merērēs | merēret | merērēmus | merērētis | merērent | |
| perfect | meruerim | meruerīs | meruerit | meruerīmus | meruerītis | meruerint | |
| pluperfect | meruissem | meruissēs | meruisset | meruissēmus | meruissētis | meruissent | |
| passive | present | merear | mereāris, mereāre | mereātur | mereāmur | mereāminī | mereantur |
| imperfect | merērer | merērēris, merērēre | merērētur | merērēmur | merērēminī | merērentur | |
| perfect | meritus + present active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
| pluperfect | meritus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
| imperative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | — | merē | — | — | merēte | — |
| future | — | merētō | merētō | — | merētōte | merentō | |
| passive | present | — | merēre | — | — | merēminī | — |
| future | — | merētor | merētor | — | — | merentor | |
| non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
| present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
| infinitives | merēre | meruisse | meritūrum esse | merērī | meritum esse | meritum īrī | |
| participles | merēns | — | meritūrus | — | meritus | merendus | |
| verbal nouns | gerund | supine | |||||
| genitive | dative | accusative | ablative | accusative | ablative | ||
| merendī | merendō | merendum | merendō | meritum | meritū | ||
Synonyms
- (deserve): commereō, dignum esse
- (obtain): adipīscor, cōnsequor, exōrō, impetrō, nancīscor
Derived terms
- commereō
- dēmereō
- ēmereō
- merenda
- merēns
- meretrīx
- meritō
- meritōrius
- meritum
- meritus
- permereō
- prōmereō
Related terms
- merendārius
- merendō
- meritōrium
- meretrīcābilis
- meretrīciē
- meretrīcius
- meretrīcor
- meretrīcula
Descendants
- Italo-romance:
- Sicilian:
- Calabrese: merire
- Sicilian:
- Gallo-Italic:
- Old Lombard: merir
- Gallo-Romance:
- Old French: merir
- Middle French: mérir
- French: mérir (dialectal)
- → English: merit
- Middle French: mérir
- Old French: merir
- Ibero-Romance:
- Old Spanish: merer
- Cebuano: mirisi
- Old Spanish: merer
- ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *merēscere
- Occitano-Romance:
- Catalan: merèixer
- Ibero-Romance:
- Aragonese: mereixer, merexer
- Asturian: merecer
- Galician: merecer
- Portuguese: merecer
- Spanish: merecer
- Occitano-Romance:
- Sardinian:
- merèschere, medèsciri, meresci, merèsciri, merèssere
References
- “mereo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “mereo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- mereo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- to merit thanks; to do a thankworthy action: gratiam mereri
- to deserve well at some one's hands; to do a service to..: bene, praeclare (melius, optime) mereri de aliquo
- to deserve ill of a person; to treat badly: male mereri de aliquo
- (ambiguous) to serve in the cavalry, infantry: equo, pedibus merere (Liv. 27. 11)
- (ambiguous) to serve: stipendia facere, merere
- to merit thanks; to do a thankworthy action: gratiam mereri
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