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 e·mer·i·ti [ih-, mer, -i-tahy, -tee].

1. an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of emeritus¹

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

Example Sentences

Wheeler doesn’t need definitive proof, said Bernard Goldstein, a professor emeritus of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh.

From ProPublica

There are good reasons for this, according to Per Pinstrup-Andersen, a Danish economist and professor emeritus at Cornell University.

From MIT Technology Review

Weber, a professor emeritus at San Diego State University who chaired the school’s Africana studies department, flatly dismissed that argument.

From Voice of San Diego

Jones, the lawyer in the lawsuit, and Earl Richardson, president emeritus of Morgan State, co-authored the article.

From TruthBeTold.news

That is Jerome Kagan, emeritus professor of psychology at Harvard and a pioneer of developmental and personality psychology.

From Freakonomics

He also noted that “Pope Emeritus is notably not a big sports fan.”

From The Daily Beast

We need to look at Benedict XVI as an institution, he opened a door, that of the popes emeritus.

From The Daily Beast

He is professor emeritus at Chicago, and there is a scholarship in his name, set up by some of his former students.

From The Daily Beast

He served for several years as chairman of DLA Piper, now chairman emeritus.

From The Daily Beast

SENATOR GEORGE J. MITCHELLCHAIRMAN EMERITUS, DLA PIPER Senator George Mitchell has had a long and distinguished career.

From The Daily Beast

Of this Faculty he became Dean, and held office until close upon the time when he became Emeritus.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon retiring from the board of regents, he was made professor emeritus of medicine.

From Project Gutenberg

If it will comfort you in the least, make me your Pastor Emeritus, nominally.

From Project Gutenberg

He became professor emeritus in 1887, and established a private laboratory at Newport, where he has continued his researches.

From Project Gutenberg

From 1869 until 1894, when he resigned and became professor emeritus, he was Pope Professor of Latin in the same institution.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• elderly
• resigned

More About Emeritus

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.

Where does emeritus come from?

The first records of the term emeritus come from around the 1780s. It comes from the Latin ēmeritus, meaning “having fully earned.” 

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of emeritus?

• emeriti (plural noun)
• emerita (adjective)

What are some synonyms for emeritus?

• retired
• discharged
• resigned

What are some words that share a root or word element with emeritus? 

• merit
• meritocracy
• meritorious
• emerita

What are some words that often get used in discussing emeritus?

• academics
• professor
• honorific
• designation

How is emeritus used in real life?

The word emeritus is most often used to describe retired professors, deans, or presidents of colleges and universities who have been honored for their work. 

As of today I am Professor Emeritus of Democracy & Justice Studies @UWGB = I may be getting old, but I remain cool ;)

— Harvey J Kaye (@harveyjkaye) December 21, 2020

Geog 248: Location and Spatial Economy with Geography Professor Emeritus Allen J. Scott, fall 1993

— Patrick Burns (@patrickeburns) March 9, 2023

I am pleased to announce at its November meeting the University of Canterbury Council awarded me the honorary title “Professor Emeritus". I feel very privileged and honoured to receive this award.

— ray kirk (@ray_c_kirk) December 16, 2020

 

Try using emeritus!

True or False? 

A person awarded with the title emeritus is active in their professional community.