emeritus
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emeritus
- /ɪˈmɛɹɪtəs/ US, UK
- /əˈmɛɹətəs/
- /ɪˈmɛɹɪtaɪ/ US, UK
- /əˈmɛɹətaɪ/
Rhymes with -ɛɹɪtəs
Where it comes from
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin ēmeritus (“(having been) earned, (having been) merited; (having been) served, having done one’s service”), the perfect passive participle of ēmereō (“to earn, merit; to gain by service; (military) to complete one’s obligation to serve, to serve out one’s time”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + mereō (“to deserve, merit; to acquire, earn, get, obtain; to render service to; to serve”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to allot; to assign”)).
The noun is derived from the adjective. The plural form emeriti is borrowed from Latin ēmeritī.
adjective emerita · emeriti · emerituses · emeritae
- Retired, but retaining an honorific version of a previous title. emeritus professor professor emeritus professors emeritae
noun emeriti · emerituses
- A (male) person who is retired from active service or an occupation, especially one who retains an honorific version of a previous title. Martin Engels said: “I am not posted on dyke-bridges, but if it is a Dutch scheme there may be something in it. That engineer made a mistake by calling the city officials emerituses. He should not call people names if he wants the Municipal Council to build his twenty-four-million-dollar bridge. If
- An honorific version of a previous title. With a string of “emerituses” behind his name, last of which was acquired with the Welfare society resignation, [George Q.] Sheppard now lives in retirement in his home at The Hill, 722 King street.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: retired, old, leader, award, honorarium, outstanding, reputation, eminent, honor, fellow, distinguished, senior, glory, fame, honorary, dean
Translations
Every language
adj retired, but retaining an honorific version of a previous title
| Español | emérito |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 名誉 meiyo |
| 中文 | 名譽退休 /名誉退休 míngyù tuìxiū, 榮譽退休 /荣誉退休 róngyù tuìxiū |
| Português | emérito |
| Français | émérite |
| Deutsch | emeritiert, emeritus |
| Italiano | emerito |
| Ελληνικά | ομότιμος omótimos |
| Română | emerit |
| Русский | почётный počótnyj |
| עברית | בדימוס b'dimos |
noun person who is retired from active service or an occupation, especially one who retains an honorific version of a previous title
| 中文 | 榮休 /荣休 róngxiū |
|---|
Talk about this word "emeritus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/emeritus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. emeritus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/emeritus "emeritus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/emeritus.Cite this
@misc{emeritus_2026,
title = {emeritus},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/emeritus},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
