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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
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 23 Feb. 2026
The first is Joshua Meyrowitz, an emeritus professor of communication at the University of New Hampshire.
—Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Fred Benedetti, emeritus professor at Grossmont College and 2023 San Diego Music Hall of Fame inductee, studied with Maestro Andrés Segovia and has performed with the San Diego Symphony, Luciano Pavarotti, and Dave Brubeck, and has appeared on over 150 recordings.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
But the toxin reportedly identified in this case – epibatidine – isn't known to have been used to kill anyone, Kyle Summers, an emeritus biology professor at East Carolina University, told USA TODAY.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 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 2 Mar. 2026.
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