📖 M — The English dictionary · page 25

merit — Everyday, meaning 1: Merit is the quality of being good and deserving praise or a reward.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The merits of something are its good points.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (school) A merit is a point, star or certificate a pupil gets for good work or good behaviour.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To merit something is to deserve it.↗ Example: I got a merit for my story about the dragon.↗ · Jake has twenty merits this term.↗ · Each idea has its merits.↗ · She was chosen for the team on merit, not because her dad is the coach.↗ · Your drawing merits a place on the wall.↗ · (formal) The proposal was judged on its merits.↗ · Ten merits earn you a bronze certificate.↗ · I jumped the highest; but in this world merit seldom meets its reward.↗ · In one scale is the merit and in the other criminaHty, which are placed in equilibrium by the tongue.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · In one scale [17] is the merit and in the other criminality, which are placed in equilibrium by the tongue.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · The three first elements, א״מ״ש are typified by a balance, in one scale the merit and in the other the criminality, which are placed in equilibrium by the tongue.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · Wealth and riches are in his house; and his merit endureth for ever.↗ (Writings PSA.112.3, JPS 1917)↗

meritorious — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Deserving praise or reward because it is very good or brave.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, school and army) Used in names of awards, like «Meritorious Service Medal».↗ Example: The firefighter received an award for meritorious service.↗ · Her science project was judged meritorious.↗ · The soldier's meritorious conduct was praised.↗ · The head teacher read out the names of pupils with meritorious work.↗ · The medal is given for meritorious acts of courage.↗ · It was a meritorious effort, even though they lost.↗

merlin — Everyday, meaning 1: A small, fast falcon (a bird of prey) found in Europe, Asia and North America, which hunts small birds.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name, legend) Merlin is the wise wizard in the stories of King Arthur, who guided and advised him.↗ Example: A merlin is a small, fast falcon.↗ · We saw a merlin chasing a pipit over the moor.↗ · Merlin the wizard helped young Arthur.↗ · In some stories Merlin lives backwards in time.↗ · Merlins nest on the ground in heather.↗ · The book tells how Merlin brought the stones of Stonehenge – but that is a legend, not history.↗ · A merlin is smaller than a kestrel.↗ · Merlin is often drawn with a long beard and a pointed hat.↗ · ‘But, Princess,’ said he, ‘I dare not take you back to King Merlin’s court.↗

mermaid — Everyday, meaning 1: A mermaid is an imaginary sea creature with the head and body of a woman and the tail of a fish.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A merman is the male version.↗ Example: The mermaid flicked her shiny tail.↗ · We read «The Little Mermaid» in class.↗ · Sailors told stories of mermaids singing on rocks.↗ · She wants a mermaid cake for her birthday.↗ · A manatee was once mistaken for a mermaid.↗ · The mermaid swam down to the coral castle.↗ · “Oh,” cried Wendy, “to see a mermaid!”↗

merrily — Everyday, meaning 1: In a happy, cheerful, jolly way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Carelessly, without thinking about trouble, as in «He merrily ignored the warning».↗ Example: The fire crackled merrily.↗ · The children sang merrily in the snow.↗ · Row, row, row your boat, merrily down the stream.↗ · The Rat sculled merrily along the river.↗ · The bells rang merrily on Christmas morning.↗ · He merrily ate the last cake, not knowing it was mine.↗ · Then he got into his cart and trotted merrily home.↗

merriment — Everyday, meaning 1: Happy fun, laughter and enjoyment, especially when people are together celebrating.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Amusement: «his mistake caused much merriment».↗ Example: There was great merriment at the Christmas party.↗ · The village feast was full of music and merriment.↗ · Grandpa's eyes twinkled with merriment.↗ · My silly hat caused much merriment.↗ · The fair was a place of merriment and games.↗ · Their merriment echoed down the street.↗ · After the win, the team's merriment lasted all evening.↗ · Robin Hood and his merry men lived with laughter and merriment.↗ · In the room the Christmas tree was lit, and there were song and merriment.↗

merry — Everyday, meaning 1: Merry means happy, cheerful and full of fun.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, informal) Merry means a little drunk.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Merry is used in greetings like "Merry Christmas!".↗ Example: Merry Christmas, everyone!↗ · Robin Hood and his merry men lived in the forest.↗ · Come along — the more the merrier!↗ · We rode on the merry-go-round at the fair.↗ · The guests were merry after the party.↗ · They sang a merry song.↗ · It was a merry hunting party.↗ · And they drank, and were merry with him.↗ (Torah GEN.43.34, JPS 1917)↗ · And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry.↗ (Torah EXO.32.6, JPS 1917)↗ · The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.↗ (Prophets ISA.24.7, JPS 1917)↗ · A merry heart is a good medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.↗ (Writings PRO.17.22, JPS 1917)↗ · A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.↗ (Writings PRO.15.13, JPS 1917)↗

merrymaking — Everyday, meaning 1: Lively fun with feasting, dancing and games, especially at a party or a festival.↗ Example: The whole village joined in the merrymaking.↗ · After the harvest there was merrymaking all night.↗ · The king held a great merrymaking for his son's wedding.↗

mesa — Everyday, meaning 1: (geography) A hill or mountain with steep sides and a large, flat top, found in dry places like the south-west USA and parts of Australia.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Spanish) «Mesa» means «table» in Spanish; the hill is named for its table-like shape.↗ Example: A mesa is a hill with a flat top like a table.↗ · We saw red mesas in the desert in Arizona.↗ · Erosion slowly turned the plateau into mesas.↗ · A butte is smaller and narrower than a mesa.↗ · The old village was built on top of a mesa for safety.↗ · «Mesa» means «table» in Spanish.↗ · The cowboy rode past the tall mesa.↗ · In Australia, flat-topped hills like mesas are sometimes called «jump-ups».↗

mesh — Everyday, meaning 1: A material made of threads or wires woven together with small holes between them, like a net.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (maths, computing) A network of lines, points and shapes, for example in a 3D model.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To fit together well: our ideas meshed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) For gear wheels to lock their teeth together.↗ Example: The pond is covered with mesh to keep the herons out.↗ · Oranges come in a red mesh bag.↗ · My trainers have a mesh top to keep feet cool.↗ · The two gears mesh and turn together.↗ · Our ideas meshed well and we made a great poster.↗ · The fence is made of metal mesh.↗ · The goal net is a mesh of strong strings.↗ · The game draws characters as a mesh of tiny triangles.↗ · And when the meshes were cut, and the eagle was free, the horse galloped on.↗

mesozoic — Everyday, meaning 1: The Mesozoic is a long stretch of Earth's history, from about 252 million to 66 million years ago, often called the Age of Dinosaurs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Belonging to that time.↗ e.g. Mesozoic rocks, Mesozoic reptiles.↗ Example: Dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic.↗ · The Mesozoic era had three periods.↗ · Our class made a timeline of the Mesozoic along the corridor wall.↗ · The first birds appeared in the Mesozoic.↗ · Mesozoic rocks on the Jurassic Coast are full of ammonites.↗ · Flowering plants spread near the end of the Mesozoic.↗ · Humans did not live in the Mesozoic at all.↗

mesquite — Everyday, meaning 1: A spiny shrub or small tree of the pea family that grows in deserts and dry lands of the south-western USA and Mexico, with long seed pods.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The wood of this tree, used to give a smoky flavour to barbecued food.↗ Example: Mesquite trees grow in the deserts of Mexico and the USA.↗ · Mesquite roots reach deep underground for water.↗ · The barbecue was flavoured with mesquite wood.↗ · Native Americans made flour from mesquite pods.↗ · Cattle eat mesquite pods in dry seasons.↗ · In Australia, mesquite is a weed that spreads quickly.↗ · The desert road was lined with thorny mesquite.↗ · Mesquite-smoked chicken has a strong flavour.↗

mess — Everyday, meaning 1: A mess is a place or things that are untidy or dirty, like a messy bedroom.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A mess is also a bad or confusing situation with problems.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To mess something up means to make it untidy or to spoil it or get it wrong.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To mess about or mess around means to play or behave in a silly way instead of working.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To mess with something means to touch or change it when you should not.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: A mess is also a room where soldiers or sailors eat, and an animal's droppings can be called mess.↗ Example: Your bedroom is a mess!↗ · Who made this mess on the kitchen floor?↗ · I spilt paint and made a big mess.↗ · Please clean up your mess before lunch.↗ · I messed up the first question, so I rubbed it out.↗ · Stop messing about and finish your work.↗ · Don't mess with the oven knobs.↗ · The game was a mess after it started to rain.↗ · The puppy left a mess on the carpet.↗ · "Woe is me," thinks the Pope; "here's a mess!"↗ · And David said to Uriah: 'Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet.'↗ And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king.↗ (Prophets 2SA.11.8, JPS 1917)↗

message — Everyday, meaning 1: A piece of information that someone sends or leaves for another person, in words, writing or on a phone.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A text, email or chat note sent on a phone or computer.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The main idea or lesson that a story, film or poem wants to tell.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Verb (informal): to send someone a text message.↗ Example: Mum sent me a message to say she was late.↗ · Can I take a message for your dad?↗ · Don't reply to messages from strangers online.↗ · The message of the fable is that slow and steady wins the race.↗ · Nerves carry messages from your brain to your muscles.↗ · I left a message on Grandma's phone.↗ · She messaged me after school.↗ · The message in the bottle was found on the beach.↗ · And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying: 'Thy father did command before he died, saying: (Torah GEN.50.16, JPS 1917)↗ · And whom shall one make to understand the message?↗ (Prophets ISA.28.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Then Esther spoke unto Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai: (Writings EST.4.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And Ehud said: 'I have a message from God unto thee.'↗ And he arose out of his seat.↗ (Prophets JDG.3.20, JPS 1917)↗

messaging — Everyday, meaning 1: (euphemism, jargon) the way a politician or company shapes what they say to make people think a certain way; spin or propaganda.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (literal) sending text or online messages.↗ Example: The party worked on its messaging before the election.↗ · News: The company's messaging about prices was misleading.↗ · Chat: messaging my mates on the app↗ · The campaign's messaging focused on safety.↗ · Messaging apps let you send photos and voice notes.↗

messenger — Everyday, meaning 1: A person who carries a message, letter or parcel from one person or place to another.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An app or service for sending text messages.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) A substance in the body that carries signals, such as a hormone.↗ Example: The king sent a messenger with a letter.↗ · The messenger rode through the night.↗ · Don't shoot the messenger — I'm only telling you what Mum said!↗ · A bike messenger delivered the parcel.↗ · I sent Gran a photo on the messenger app.↗ · Hormones are chemical messengers in the body.↗ · The teacher made me the messenger to the office.↗ · Pigeons were once used as messengers.↗ · This is a messenger from Heaven.↗ · And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying: (Torah NUM.21.21, JPS 1917)↗ · And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom.↗ (Torah GEN.32.3, JPS 1917)↗ · And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Spoke I not also to thy messengers that thou didst send unto me, saying: (Torah NUM.24.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And the messengers returned, and told the king.↗ (Prophets 2KI.7.15, JPS 1917)↗ · Or deaf, as My messenger that I send?↗ (Prophets ISA.42.19, JPS 1917)↗ · Who makest winds Thy messengers, the flaming fire Thy ministers.↗ (Writings PSA.104.4, JPS 1917)↗

messiah — Everyday, meaning 1: (religion) In Judaism, the Messiah is a future king from the family of David whom God will send to bring peace and rescue the Jewish people.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church) Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A messiah is any leader people hope will save them or solve their problems (sometimes said with doubt).↗ Example: Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah.↗ · Jewish people believe the Messiah has not yet come.↗ · «Christ» is the Greek word for «Messiah».↗ · Our choir sang the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's «Messiah».↗ · The prophets spoke of a Messiah from the family of David.↗ · Fans treated the new coach like a messiah.↗ · The shepherds were told that the Messiah was born.↗ · It is also believed that he is bound to come and decide all knotty points in the law, and to appear before the true Messiah arrives.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗