7 letters · 10 points in Scrabble
noun a mark against a person for misconduct or failure; usually given in school or armed forces
noun the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection
originFrom Middle English demerit, demerite, from Old French desmerite (modern French démérite) and its etymon Latin dēmeritum. By surface analysis, de- + merit.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0