Definition of emeritus
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an honorary title the rank of the last office held
emeritus
adjectiveDefinition of emeritus (Entry 2 of 2)
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
Test Your Vocabulary
Challenging Words You Should Know
-
- Often used to describe “the march of time,” what does inexorable mean?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share emeritus
Time Traveler for emeritus
The first known use of emeritus was in 1692
See more words from the same year