What does “Meritíssimo” mean in Portuguese?

Meritíssimo is how you address a judge in a Brazilian courtroom — the equivalent of “Your Honor.” It is a superlative: built from mérito (“merit”) plus the -íssimo ending, it literally means “most worthy” or “most deserving.” Lawyers use it as a vocative, the word you call out before making your case, so a hearing often opens with a respectful “Meritíssimo…” aimed straight at the bench.

The -íssimo suffix is Portuguese’s everyday superlative (rápido → rapidíssimo, “very fast”), and it is the same ending behind Excelentíssimo, the more formal written address used in petitions. In direct address Meritíssimo (often Meritíssimo Juiz) is the courtroom vocative, while Vossa Excelência is the standard formal pronoun of address and Excelentíssimo heads written petitions. Note the matching courtroom register here: the lawyer also calls the opposing attorney doutor (“doctor/counsel”), the standard polite title between Brazilian legal professionals.