Merge Merge (mẽrj) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Merged (mẽrjd); present participle & verbal noun Merging (mẽr"jĭng).] [ Latin mergere , mersum . Confer Emerge , Immerse , Marrow .] To cause to be swallowed up; to immerse; to sink; to absorb.

To merge all natural . . . sentiment in inordinate vanity.

Burke.

Whig and Tory were merged and swallowed up in the transcendent duties of patriots.

De Quincey.

Merge Merge intransitive verb To be sunk, swallowed up, or lost.

Native irresolution had merged in stronger motives.

I. Taylor.

Merger Mer"ger noun 1. One who, or that which, merges.

2. (Law) An absorption of one estate, or one contract, in another, or of a minor offense in a greater.

Mericarp Mer"iˇcarp noun [ Greek me`ros a part + karpo`s fruit.] (Botany) One carpel of an umbelliferous fruit. See Cremocarp .

Meride Mer"ide noun [ Greek ... a part.] (Biol.) A permanent colony of cells or plastids which may remain isolated, like Rotifer, or may multiply by gemmation to form higher aggregates, termed zoides . Perrier.

Meridian Meˇrid"iˇan adjective [ French méridien , Latin meridianus pertaining to noon, from meridies noon, midday, for older medidies ; medius mid, middle + dies day. See Mid , and Diurnal .] 1. Being at, or pertaining to, midday; belonging to, or passing through, the highest point attained by the sun in his diurnal course. " Meridian hour." Milton.

Tables . . . to find the altitude meridian .

Chaucer.

2. Pertaining to the highest point or culmination; as, meridian splendor.

Meridian Meˇrid"iˇan noun [ French méridien . See Meridian , adjective ]

1. Midday; noon.

2. Hence: The highest point, as of success, prosperity, or the like; culmination.

I have touched the highest point of all my greatness,
And from that full meridian of my glory
I haste now to my setting.

Shak.

3. (Astron.) A great circle of the sphere passing through the poles of the heavens and the zenith of a given place. It is crossed by the sun at midday.

4. (Geology) A great circle on the surface of the earth, passing through the poles and any given place; also, the half of such a circle included between the poles.

» The planes of the geographical and astronomical meridians coincide. Meridians, on a map or globe, are lines drawn at certain intervals due north and south, or in the direction of the poles.

Calculated for , or fitted to , or adapted to , the meridian of , suited to the local circumstances, capabilities, or special requirements of.

All other knowledge merely serves the concerns of this life, and is fitted to the meridian there of .

Sir M. Hale.

-- First meridian , the meridian from which longitudes are reckoned. The meridian of Greenwich is the one commonly employed in calculations of longitude by geographers, and in actual practice, although in various countries other and different meridians, chiefly those which pass through the capitals of the countries, are occasionally used; as, in France, the meridian of Paris; in the United States, the meridian of Washington, etc. -- Guide meridian (Public Land Survey) , a line, marked by monuments, running North and South through a section of country between other more carefully established meridians called principal meridians , used for reference in surveying. [ U.S.] -- Magnetic meridian , a great circle, passing through the zenith and coinciding in direction with the magnetic needle, or a line on the earth's surface having the same direction. -- Meridian circle (Astron.) , an instrument consisting of a telescope attached to a large graduated circle and so mounted that the telescope revolves like the transit instrument in a meridian plane. By it the right ascension and the declination of a star may be measured in a single observation. -- Meridian instrument (Astron.) , any astronomical instrument having a telescope that rotates in a meridian plane. -- Meridian of a globe , or Brass meridian , a graduated circular ring of brass, in which the artificial globe is suspended and revolves.

Meridional Meˇrid"iˇoˇnal adjective [ French méridional , Latin meridionalis , from meridies midday. See Meridian .]

1. Of or pertaining to the meridian.

2. Having a southern aspect; southern; southerly.

Offices that require heat . . . should be meridional .

Sir H. Wotton.

Meridional distance , the distance or departure from the meridian; the easting or westing. -- Meridional parts , parts of the meridian in Mercator's projection, corresponding to each minute of latitude from the equator up to 70 or 80 degrees; tabulated numbers representing these parts used in projecting charts, and in solving cases in Mercator's sailing.

Meridionality Meˇrid`iˇoˇnal"iˇty noun 1. The state of being in the meridian.

2. Position in the south; aspect toward the south.

Meridionally Meˇrid"iˇoˇnalˇly adverb In the direction of the meridian.

Merils Mer"ils noun [ French mérelle , marelle , marelles , Late Latin marella , marrella . Confer Morris the game.] A boy's play, called also fivepenny morris . See Morris .

Meringue Me`ringue" (F. mẽ`răN"g'; E. mĕ*răng") noun [ French] A delicate pastry made of powdered sugar and the whites of eggs whipped up, -- with jam or cream added.

Merino Meˇri"no adjective [ Spanish merino moving from pasture to pasture, from merino a royal judge and superintendent or inspector of sheep walks, Late Latin merinus , from majorinus , i. e., major vill..., from Latin major greater. See Major . Merino sheep are driven at certain seasons from one part of Spain to another, in large flocks, for pasturage.] 1. Of or pertaining to a variety of sheep with very fine wool, originally bred in Spain.

2. Made of the wool of the merino sheep.

Merino Meˇri"no noun ; plural Merinos . [ Spanish ] 1. (Zoology) A breed of sheep originally from Spain, noted for the fineness of its wool.

2. A fine fabric of merino wool.

Merismatic Mer`isˇmat"ic adjective [ Greek ... division, from ... part.] (Biol.) Dividing into cells or segments; characterized by separation into two or more parts or sections by the formation of internal partitions; as, merismatic growth, where one cell divides into many.

Meristem Mer"iˇstem noun [ Greek ... divisible.] (Botany) A tissue of growing cells, or cells capable of further division.

Merit Mer"it noun [ French mérite , Latin meritum , from merere , mereri , to deserve, merit; probably originally, to get a share; akin to Greek ... part, ... fate, doom, ... to receive as one's portion. Confer Market , Merchant , Mercer , Mercy .] 1. The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.

Here may men see how sin hath his merit .

Chaucer.

Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought
For things that others do; and when we fall,
We answer other's merits in our name.

Shak.

2. Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.

Reputation is . . . oft got without merit , and lost without deserving.

Shak.

To him the wit of Greece and Rome was known,
And every author's merit , but his own.

Pope.

3. Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits .

Those laurel groves, the merits of thy youth.

Prior.

Merit Mer"it transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Merited ; present participle & verbal noun Meriting .] [ French mériter , Latin meritare , v. intens. from merere . See Merit , noun ] 1. To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment. "This kindness merits thanks." Shak.

2. To reward. [ R. & Obsolete] Chapman.

Merit Mer"it intransitive verb To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit. [ Obsolete] Beau. & Fl.

Meritable Mer"itˇaˇble adjective Deserving of reward. [ R.]

Meritedly Mer"itˇedˇly adverb By merit; deservedly.

Merithal Mer"iˇthal Mer`i*thal"lus noun [ New Latin merithallus , from Greek ..., or ..., a part + ... a young shoot.] (Botany) Same as Internode .

Meritmonger Mer"itˇmon`ger noun One who depends on merit for salvation. [ Obsolete] Milner.

Meritorious Mer`iˇto"riˇous adjective [ Latin meritorius that brings in money.] Possessing merit; deserving of reward or honor; worthy of recompense; valuable.

And meritorious shall that hand be called,
Canonized, and worshiped as a saint.

Shak.

-- Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ly , adverb -- Mer`i*to"ri*ous*ness , noun

Meritory Mer"iˇtoˇry adjective Meritorious. [ Obsolete]

Meritot Mer"iˇtot noun A play of children, in swinging on ropes, or the like, till they are dizzy.

Merk Merk noun [ See Marc .] An old Scotch silver coin; a mark or marc. [ Scot.]

Merk Merk noun A mark; a sign. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Merke Merke adjective Murky. [ Obsolete] Piers Plowman.

Merkin Mer"kin noun Originally, a wig; afterwards, a mop for cleaning cannon.

Merl, Merle Merl, Merle noun [ French merle , Latin merula , merulus . Confer Ousel .] (Zoology) The European blackbird. See Blackbird . Drayton.

Merlin Mer"lin noun [ Middle English merlion , French émerillon ; confer Old High German smirl , German schmerl ; probably from Latin merula blackbird. Confer Merle .] (Zoology) A small European falcon ( Falco lithofalco , or F. ćsalon ).

Merling Mer"ling noun (Zoology) The European whiting.

Merlon Mer"lon noun [ French, perhaps from Latin moerus , for murus a wall, through (assumed) dim. moerulus .] (Fort.) One of the solid parts of a battlemented parapet; a battlement. See Illust. of Battlement .

Merluce Mer"luce noun [ French merluche , merlus .] (Zoology) The European hake; -- called also herring hake and sea pike .

Mermaid Mer"maid noun [ Anglo-Saxon mere lake, sea. See Mere lake, and maid .] A fabled marine creature, typically represented as having the upper part like that of a woman, and the lower like a fish; a sea nymph, sea woman, or woman fish.

» Chaucer uses this word as equivalent to the siren of the ancients.

Mermaid fish (Zoology) the angel fish ( Squatina ). -- Mermaid's glove (Zoology) , a British branched sponge somewhat resembling a glove. -- Mermaid's head (Zoology) , a European spatangoid sea urchin ( Echinocardium cordatum ) having some resemblance to a skull. -- Mermaid weed (Botany) , an aquatic herb with dentate or pectinate leaves ( Proserpinaca palustris and P. pectinacea ).

Merman Mer"man noun ; plural Mermen The male corresponding to mermaid ; a sea man, or man fish.

Meroblast Mer"oˇblast noun [ Greek ... part + -blast .] (Biol.) An ovum, as that of a mammal, only partially composed of germinal matter, that is, consisting of both a germinal portion and an albuminous or nutritive one; -- opposed to holoblast .

Meroblastic Mer`oˇblas"tic adjective (Biol.) Consisting only in part of germinal matter; characterized by partial segmentation only; as, meroblastic ova, in which a portion of the yolk only undergoes fission; meroblastic segmentation; -- opposed to holoblastic .

Merocele Me"roˇcele noun [ Greek ... thigh + ... tumor.] (Medicine) Hernia in the thigh; femoral hernia .

Meroistic Mer`oˇis"tic adjective [ Greek ... part + ... an egg.] (Zoology) Applied to the ovaries of insects when they secrete vitelligenous cells, as well as ova.

Meropidan Meˇrop"iˇdan noun [ Latin merops a bee-eating bird, Greek me`rops .] (Zoology) One of a family of birds ( Meropidć ), including the bee-eaters.

Meropodite Meˇrop"oˇdite noun [ Greek ... thigh + poy`s , podo`s , foot.] (Zoology) The fourth joint of a typical appendage of Crustacea.

Merorganization Merˇor`ganˇiˇza"tion noun [ Greek ... part + English organization .] Organization in part. [ R.]

Meros Me"ros noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... part.] (Architecture) The plain surface between the channels of a triglyph. [ Written also merus .] Weale.

Meros Me"ros noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... the thigh.] (Anat.) The proximal segment of the hind limb; the thigh.

Merosome Mer"oˇsome noun [ Greek ... part + - some body.] (Zoology) One of the serial segments, or metameres, of which the bodies of vertebrate and articulate animals are composed.

Merostomata Mer`oˇstom"aˇta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... thigh + ..., -..., mouth.] (Zoology) A class of Arthropoda, allied to the Crustacea. It includes the trilobites, Eurypteroidea, and Limuloidea. All are extinct except the horseshoe crabs of the last group. See Limulus .

Mérou Mé`rou" noun [ French] (Zoology) See Jack , 8 (c) .

Merovingian Mer`oˇvin"giˇan adjective [ From Merovaeus , the Latin name of a king of the Franks.] Of or pertaining to the first Frankish dynasty in Gaul or France. -- noun One of the kings of this dynasty.

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