emeritus

American  

[ih-mer-i-tuhs] / ɪˈmɛr ɪ təs /

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.

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noun

plural

emeriti

1. an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

emeritus British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of emeritus

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

Compare meaning

How does emeritus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emerita vs. emeritus

Explanation

An emeritus is a retired college professor or minister. When a professor stops teaching, she might be given the title of emeritus, which basically means she can still be remembered as a successful professor. The word emeritus, pronounced "eh-MER-ih-tus," is Latin, originally meaning "veteran soldier." The honorary adjective is most often used with professor, but it applies to other professions whose retirees continue to hold their title, like ministers. The word emeritus usually goes after the job title, but it can also come before, like emeritus editor.

Example Sentences

Mr. Naiden, now a professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, gives us a vivid feeling for both the drudgery and the danger of life working on the subway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Professor David Voas, emeritus professor of social science at University College London, was one of those who raised suspicion over the Bible Society's findings.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

"That would have been an important specimen," said Freeman, lead author of the study and a senior public service associate emeritus at the UGA Odum School of Ecology.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

“There’s an inconsistency between the seriousness of war and the informality of social media,” said Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The invocation was pronounced by Dr. Cyrus Northrop, president emeritus of the State University.

From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume V by Harper, Ida Husted

Related Words

• discharged
• retiring