Official title of great merit (10)

I believe the answer is:

excellence

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'great merit' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for excellence that I've seen before include "Great merit" , "Superiority" , "Outstanding quality" , "Exceptional quality" , "greatness" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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