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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
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
As of Wednesday, he was listed on the company’s website as an emeritus board member.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
Iwan Morgan, emeritus professor at University College of London’s Institute of the Americas, told CNN that year that Greenland’s cost could hit the trillions, while stressing the immense political and legal complexity of any such deal.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 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 25 Jan. 2026.
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