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In Latin, emeritus was used to describe soldiers who had completed their duty. It is the past participle of the verb emereri, meaning "to serve out one's term," from the prefix e-, meaning "out," and merēre, "to earn, deserve, or serve." (Merēre is also the source of our word merit.) English speakers claimed emeritus as their own in the late 17th century, applying it as both a noun and an adjective referring or relating not to soldiers but to someone who is retired from professional life but permitted to keep as an honorary title the rank of the last office they held. The adjective is frequently used postpositively—that is, after the noun it modifies rather than before it—and it is most commonly used to describe specifically those retired from a professorship.
Examples of emeritus in a Sentence
IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2026
The disgraced physician was terminated from his roles with OSU’s athletic department and student health center in 1996 but remained on as emeritus faculty until his death by suicide in 2005.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Also in October, Corcoran denied emeritus status to Professor Amy Reid, the faculty trustee on the New College Board of Trustees, who was, when her program was eliminated, the founding director of the college’s gender studies program.
—Jonathan Scott Perry, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
Spanish emeritus Queen Sofia, who earlier this month had canceled her royal engagements to care for her ailing sister, was joined by son King Felipe and his wife, Queen Letizia, as well as their eldest daughter, Princess Leonor and her sister, Infanta Sofía of Spain.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emeritus
Cite this Entry
“Emeritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emeritus. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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