emeritus

[ih-mer-i-tuhs]

adjective

1. retired or honorably discharged from active professional duty, but retaining the title of one's office or position.

   dean emeritus of the graduate school;

   editor in chief emeritus.

noun

plural

emeriti 

1. an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

emeritus

/ ɪˈmɛrɪtəs /

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) retired or honourably discharged from full-time work, but retaining one's title on an honorary basis

   a professor emeritus

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin ēmeritus “fully earned,” past participle of ēmerēre “to fully earn,” from ē- e- ¹ + merēre “to earn”; merit

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus¹

C19: from Latin, from merēre to deserve; see _merit

Example Sentences

Donald Kettl, professor emeritus and former dean at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, taught and trained prospective public servants for 45 years.

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Mr. Page is a professor emeritus of musicology at the University of Southern California and the author of “Parallel Play.”

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It is an institutionally authorized history, published by the Smithsonian’s publishing arm and written by Tom D. Crouch, a curator emeritus of the National Air and Space Museum.

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Mr. Page is a professor emeritus of musicology at the University of Southern California.

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Irish superstar Taylor has been recognised as WBC emeritus champion, meaning she would be first in line for a title shot should she return.

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Related Words

• discharged 
• retiring 

When To Use

What does emeritus mean?

Emeritus describes someone who has retired or been honorably discharged from a specific position but allowed to retain their title because of their high achievements. For example, a distinguished professor at a university may be awarded with the title professor emeritus upon their retirement. An emeritus is a person who has retired and has been awarded the title, as Today’s guest speaker is an emeritus from Harvard.Emeritus comes from Latin, so the word has a feminine form—emerita. However, the feminine form is rarely used. Emeritus is commonly considered gender neutral. The plural form of emeritus is emeriti, so a group of retired professors may be referred to as professors emeriti. You may also notice that when used as an adjective, the word is placed after the noun.The title emeritus was first used in academia to describe professors who were retired from their position (professor emeritus). The word is now used for other positions, such as dean emeritus or president emeritus. Emeritus is also used in other professions. For example, it can be used to describe retired religious leaders like rabbis (rabbi emeritus) or bishops (bishop emeritus), as well as certain government positions. Example: Upon her retirement, Lucinda was awarded the title of professor emeritus for her outstanding work in the field.