Merit comes from Latin meritum meaning 'that which is deserved', from merēre — 'to earn'. The same root produced merchant, market, and mercy — which originally meant a price forgiven.
The quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially deserving of praise or reward.
From Old French merite meaning 'reward or punishment deserved', from Latin meritum meaning 'that which is deserved', neuter past participle of merēre meaning 'to earn, to deserve, to acquire'. The Latin merēre derives from Proto-Indo-European *mer- meaning 'to receive one's share'. The root carried a sense of commercial exchange — you merit what you have earned through action. The same root produced
Merit, merchant, mercy, and market all come from the same Latin root merēre — 'to earn, to deserve'. A merchant earns a living; merit is what you've earned through effort. Mercy is the most unexpected member: Latin mercēs meant 'wages, reward', then 'price paid'. In Christian Latin, mercy became the price God