emeritus

[ ih-mer-i-tuhs ]
See synonyms for emeritus on Thesaurus.com
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 e·mer·i·ti [ih-mer-i-tahy, -tee]. /ɪˈmɛr ɪˌtaɪ, -ˌti/.
  1. an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of emeritus

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

Words Nearby emeritus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use emeritus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for emeritus

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

Origin of emeritus

1
C19: from Latin, from merēre to deserve; see merit

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