emerita

American  

[ih-mer-i-tuh] / ɪˈmɛr ɪ tə /

adjective

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

   Kate Johnson, Professor Emerita of Music.

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noun

plural

emeritae

1. a woman with such status.

Etymology

Origin of emerita

< Latin, feminine of ēmeritus emeritus

Compare meaning

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

• emerita vs. emeritus

Example Sentences

As chair emerita, Harris will not have editorial control over the Headquarters content, according to the announcement, which raises its own questions about accountability and messaging discipline.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

Summers courted him to help fund an online poetry project being developed by his wife, now an emerita Harvard literature professor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

She’s a professor emerita of city and regional planning at UC Berkeley, and she studies the aftermath of fires.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2025

Marjorie Taylor, professor emerita of psychology at the University of Oregon and an expert on imaginary friends, wasn’t sure.

From New York Times • May 17, 2024

No sooner had the "lady," as Byron was pleased to call her, played her part as decoy, than she was discharged as emerita.

From The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 3 by Coleridge, Ernest Hartley

Related Words

• elderly
• resigned