the Order of Merit
/ði ˌɔːdər əv ˈmerɪt/
/ði ˌɔːrdər əv ˈmerɪt/
(abbreviation OM)
- one of the British orders of chivalry and the name of the honour that a person receives when made a member of this Order. The Order of Merit, which is limited to 24 living people from Britain and Commonwealth countries, plus a few additional people, was created in 1902 by King Edward VII for men and women who have achieved great things, especially in the arts, literature and science. Early members included Joseph Lister and Florence Nightingale. More recent members have included Margaret Thatcher, Lucian Freud and Nelson Mandela. People who are given this honour can place the letters OM after their name.
功绩勋章：英国的骑士勋章之一，成为某人成为勋章成员时所获得的荣誉的名称。功绩勋章由爱德华七世国王（King Edward VII）于1902年创立，旨在奖励那些在艺术，文学和科学领域都取得了巨大成就的男女，勋章仅限于24个来自英国和英联邦国家的在世人，外加一些其他人。早期成员包括Joseph Lister和Florence Nightingale。最近的成员包括玛格丽特·撒切尔，卢西安·弗洛伊德和纳尔逊·曼德拉。被授予此荣誉的人可以在其姓名后加上OM。