A meritocracy is a system where ability rather than birth decides rank. Believe in meritocracy.
The word was coined as a criticism and is now used almost entirely as praise, which is a rare reversal. A meritocracy still needs somebody to decide what counts as merit.
1nounmeritocracyA system where ability rather than birth decides rank.
“The firm called itself a meritocracy and promoted from one school.”
meritocracy is a system.
Coined in the 1950s from merit plus -cracy, and popularised by Michael Young as a warning rather than an ideal.
Proto-Indo-European
*(s)mer- — to allot, assign
Latin
meritum — that which one deserves, deserts; benefit, reward, merit; service; kindness; importance, value, worth; blame, demerit, fault; grounds, reason
Old French
merite — moral worth, reward; merit
Anglo-Norman
merit
Middle English
merit
English
merit
English, today
meritocracy
Built from
From merit + -o- + -cracy., coined by Alan Fox in 1956 in an article in Socialist Commentary from May 1956, used as a derisive term, and popularized by British sociologist Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington in his book The Rise of the Meritocracy (1958). merit comes from Middle English merit, merite (“quality of person’s character or conduct deserving of reward or punishment; such reward or punishment; excellence, worthiness; benefit; right to be rewarded for spiritual service; retribution at doomsday; virtue through which Jesus Christ brings about salvation; virtue possessed by a holy person; power of a pagan deity”), from Anglo-Norman merit, merite, Old French merite (“moral worth, reward; merit”) (modern French mérite), from Latin meritum (“that which one deserves, deserts; benefit, reward, merit; service; kindness; importance, value, worth; blame, demerit, fault; grounds, reason”), neuter of meritus (“deserved, earned, obtained; due, proper, right; deserving, meritorious”), perfect passive participle of mereō (“to deserve, earn, obtain, merit; to earn a living”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)mer- (“to allot, assign”). The English word is probably cognate with Ancient Greek μέρος (“component, part; portion, share; destiny, fate, lot”) and cognate with Old Occitan merit.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA