Merit of learning (4)

I believe the answer is:
earn
'merit' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'of learning' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'EARN' can be found hidden inside 'learning'.
(Other definitions for earn that I've seen before include "Gain, take in" , "Acquire money by labour" , "Receive by effort" , "Acquire by ones' effort" , "Acquire through merit" .)