emeritus

noun emer·i·tus \ i-ˈmer-ə-təs \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of emeritus

plural emeriti play \i-ˈmer-ə-ˌtī, -ˌtē\

: a person retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an honorary title the rank of the last office held

emeritus was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

James named two local SCLC board members to the advisory group, attorney Wesley Fields and the Rev. Bob Hill, minister emeritus of Community Christian Church.

— bill turque, kansascity, "Mayor selects citizens group to explore possible honors for King | The Kansas City Star," 6 Apr. 2018
The Heat’s biggest star remains Dwyane Wade 2.0, an emeritus star now off the bench.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Of the four teams the Heat might face in the playoffs, fans should hope it isn’t this one | Miami Herald," 5 Apr. 2018
Robert Bea, an emeritus engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said the base of the tower may have been more flexible after it was moved closer to the canal.

— CBS News, "Florida bridge collapse: Design change put project behind schedule, millions over budget," 20 Mar. 2018
Robert Bea, an emeritus engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said the base of the tower may have been more flexible after it was moved closer to the canal.

— Fox News, "Key design change stymied cost, schedule of bridge in deadly Florida collapse," 20 Mar. 2018
But Philip Martin, a UC Davis professor emeritus and an expert in immigration and farm labor, believes the number could be lower.

— brittny mejia, latimes.com, "Amid rising tensions between President Trump and California, L.A. honors the braceros," 9 Mar. 2018
While an early end to the snow and cold sounds ideal, a premature spring season is not necessarily a good thing, according to Jeff Rogers, state climatologist emeritus at Ohio State University.

— justin madden, cleveland.com, "Parma police find missing 12-year-old boy with autism," 28 Feb. 2018
Benedict XVI spent almost eight years as pope, and the past five years as something no man has been since the 15th century — pope emeritus.

— julie zauzmer, Washington Post, "‘I am on a pilgrimage toward Home’: Pope Benedict XVI writes frankly of his nearing death," 8 Feb. 2018
Trump in subsequent Wednesday-morning tweets quoted Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz — Dobbs' guest on the same Tuesday show.

— dan nowicki, azcentral, "Donald Trump opposes his own Justice Department on Arizona DACA driver's-license ban," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emeritus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of emeritus

circa 1701

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, esquire, sire, sous

emeritus

adjective

Definition of emeritus

1 : holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service

2 : retired from an office or position

professor emeritus

—converted to emeriti after a plural

professors emeriti

See emeritus defined for English-language learners

See emeritus defined for kids

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

Ralph Clem is emeritus professor of geography at Florida International University.

— cynthia buckley, Washington Post, "The war in Ukraine is more devastating than you know," 9 Apr. 2018
After the South Florida Sun Sentinel questioned the deal, the college created a full-time president emeritus job description for Armstrong, with expanded duties such as outreach to the business community and the state Legislature.

— scott travis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broward College president's $381,000 sabbatical under fire in audit," 4 Apr. 2018
Walter Sharrow, 80, emeritus dean of the college of arts and sciences, was among the professors who shaped new courses in African-American studies.

— erik brady, USA TODAY, "50 years ago today, Muhammad Ali lost to a former nun," 13 Mar. 2018
In the past, members would have had multiple interactions during that time period, said William Schlesinger, a board member who is an emeritus professor of biogeochemistry at Duke University.

— scott waldman, Scientific American, "EPA's Science Advisory Board Has Not Met in 6 Months," 6 Mar. 2018
Hollywood Reporter Get smart about telling stories with data This link comes by way of Stacy Jones, emeritus raceAhead team member.

— ellen mcgirt, Fortune, "raceAhead: Black Panther is Here But He Can't Get a Mortgage," 16 Feb. 2018
UC Davis emeritus law professor Alan Brownstein said student free speech case law is inconsistent and often unclear.

— diana lambert and anita chabria, sacbee, "Racially offensive science project in Sacramento tests boundaries of free speech in high schools | The Sacramento Bee," 16 Feb. 2018
The emeritus archbishop of Santiago subsequently apologized for having refused to believe the victims from the start.

— nicole winfield, Houston Chronicle, "Cardinal rebukes pope over Chile 'slander' comments on abuse," 20 Jan. 2018
Numerous studies have indeed shown that consumption of emotional content of TV news can affect a person's mental health and mood, according to Graham C.L. Davey, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Sussex.

— author: samantha schmidt, Anchorage Daily News, "Fitness chain bans cable news networks as part of ‘healthy way of life’," 9 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of emeritus

Latin, past participle of emereri to serve out one's term, from e- + mereri, merēre to earn, deserve, serve — more at merit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1794

See Words from the same year

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous

EMERITUS Defined for English Language Learners

emeritus

adjective

Definition of emeritus for English Language Learners

: retired with an honorary title from an office or position especially in a university

Learn More about emeritus

Britannica English: Translation of emeritus for Arabic speakers

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emeritus

Definition of emeritus

emeritus was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

First Known Use of emeritus

Other Forms of Address Terms

emeritus

Definition of emeritus

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

Origin and Etymology of emeritus

Other Forms of Address Terms

EMERITUS Defined for English Language Learners

emeritus

Definition of emeritus for English Language Learners

Learn More about emeritus

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emeritus

Definition of emeritus

emeritus was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

First Known Use of emeritus

Other Forms of Address Terms

emeritus

Definition of emeritus

Recent Examples of emeritus from the Web

Origin and Etymology of emeritus

Other Forms of Address Terms

EMERITUS Defined for English Language Learners

emeritus

Definition of emeritus for English Language Learners

Learn More about emeritus

Seen and Heard

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