# demerit

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈmɛɹɪt/ · frequency rank #63,554

## Definitions
1. A quality of being inadequate; a disadvantage, a fault.
2. A mark given for bad conduct to a person attending an educational institution or serving in the army.
3. That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert.

## Etymology
From Middle English demerit, demerite, from Old French desmerite (modern French démérite) and its etymon Latin dēmeritum. By surface analysis, de- + merit.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/demerit