(verb) : dē-mĕrĕo, ŭi, ĭtum, 2
* With acc. rei, to merit, deserve a thing (ante-and post-class., and very rare): aliquid mercedis domino,Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 90: grandem pecuniam,Gell. 1, 8, 3: demeritae laetitiae,Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 14.
* (Since the Aug. per.) With acc. pers., to deserve well of, to oblige: avunculum magnopere,Suet. Aug. 8: nec tibi sit servos demeruisse pudor,Ov. A. A. 2, 252: crimine te potui demeruisse meo,id. Her. 2, 28: matrona amoenitate aliqua demerenda erit,Col. 1, 4, 8. In this signif. usually in the deponent form, dē-mĕrĕor (not ante-Aug.): ut pleniori obsequio demererer amantissimos meos, Quint. prooem. § 3; so, Pompeium et Caesarem, quorum nemo alterum offendere audebat, nisi ut alterum demereretur, simul provocavit,lay under obligation,Sen. Ep. 104, 33; id. Ben. 1, 2, 5: demerendi beneficio tam potentem civitatem occasio,Liv. 3, 18: in Regulo demerendo,Plin. Ep. 4, 2, 4; Suet. Vit. 2; id. Oth. 4; Quint. 9, 2, 29; Tac. A. 15, 21 al.

s. TLL