n. 1 a quality or action deserving blame; a fault. 2 US a mark given to an offender. demeritorious adj.
[ ME f. OF de(s)merite or L demeritum neut. past part. of demereri deserve ]
n. 1 a quality or action deserving blame; a fault. 2 US a mark given to an offender. demeritorious adj.
[ ME f. OF de(s)merite or L demeritum neut. past part. of demereri deserve ]
Concise Oxford English dictionary. Краткий оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2012