Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

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

/ ɪˈɛɪə /

adjective

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

    a professor emeritus

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus1

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin ŧٳܲ “fully earned,” past participle of ŧŧ “to fully earn,” from ŧ- e- 1 + ŧ “to earn”; merit
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus1

C19: from Latin, from ŧ to deserve; see merit
Discover More

Compare Meanings

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

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In fact, she was designed to be ethnically ambiguous for that reason, suggested Carlos Cortés, professor emeritus in history at UC Riverside, who consulted the creative team.

From

"There is nothing to debate any more, it has been settled by science," says Eric Fombonne, an autism researcher and professor emeritus at Oregon Health & Science University.

From

He remained involved with the business and was chairman emeritus until his death.

From

Sir Geoff, chancellor and professor emeritus at Heriot-Watt University, moved to the UK from Jamaica as a teenager and became known as both an academic and a human rights advocate.

From

For now, journalists are able to carry out their missions “for the most part,” said Gabriel Lerner, editor emeritus of the Spanish-language La Opinión.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Discover More

When To Use

doesemeritusmean?

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


emeritaemerize