Noun

(en noun)

The act of achieving or performing; a successful performance; accomplishment

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)

, title=(The China Governess) , chapter=1 citation , passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement .}}

* {{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April

, author= , title=Well-connected Brains , volume=100, issue=2, page=171 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered, […].}}

A great or heroic deed or feat; something accomplished by valor or boldness

* [The exploits] of the ancient saints do far surpass the most famous achievements of pagan heroes. - (Isaac Barrow)

* The highest achievements of the human intellect. - (Thomas Babington Macaulay)

(heraldry) An escutcheon or ensign armorial; now generally applied to the funeral shield commonly called hatchment.

(video games) An award for completing a particular task or meeting an objective in a video game.

Noun

(head)

Intrinsic advantages, as opposed to political or procedural advantages.

I was the boss's pet project, but was rejected on the merits .

(legal) Substance, distinguished from form or procedure.

The merits of the case favored the plaintiffs, but their procedural blunders set them back.