emeritus

1 of 2

noun

emer·​i·​tus i-ˈmer-ə-təs 

plural emeriti 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

2 of 2

adjective

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

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Michael Johnston, an emeritus political scientist at Colgate University, who has conducted polls about corruption, told me that the public’s definition of that term has long been much broader than the law’s. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026

Bloomfield is an emeritus professor of education leadership, law, and policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

David Nasaw, an emeritus professor of history at City University of New York, agrees. — Frank Langfitt, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026

Ian Freestone, emeritus professor of archaeological materials at University College London, suggested the green-to-red color change could relate to the ripening of a grape. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin, past participle of emereri to serve out one's term, from e- + mereri, merēre to earn, deserve, serve — more at merit entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1692, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for emeritus

• endarteritis
• gastroenteritis
• polyarteritis

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Kids Definition

emeritus

adjective

emer·​i·​tus

i-ˈmer-ət-əs

: retired with an honorary title from an office or position

emeritus noun