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"to deserve" in seven languages

Meaningto deserve

Spanish

merecer

/meɾeˈθeɾ/

inherited

From the inchoative *MERESCERE.

French

mériter

/meʁite/

learned

Built on mérite, from Latin MERITUM.

Italian

meritare

/meriˈtare/

learned

Portuguese

merecer

/meɾeˈseh/

inherited

Romanian

merita

/meriˈta/

learned

Catalan

merèixer

/məˈɾɛʃə/

inherited

English

deserve

/dɪˈzɝv/

other source · Old French deservir, from Latin DĒSERVĪRE 'to serve well'

English → Italianto deservemeritareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: merit, meritorious, emeritus.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MERĒRE‘to earn’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

In Latin you 'earned' what you deserved. English uses merit as a formal synonym; deserve itself is 'to serve well enough'.

English relatives: merit, meritorious, emeritus

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTe mereces un descanso.
  • frTu mérites du repos.
  • itTi meriti un po' di riposo.
  • ptVocê merece um descanso.
  • roMeriți o pauză.
  • caEt mereixes un descans.
  • enYou deserve a rest.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words