What does the Latin word emeritus mean and how is it used in English? This article will teach you the origins and usage of this common Latin phrase.

You might hear the word emeritus being used to refer to a person who is retired. But what does this word mean, and what are its origins? This article covers the meaning of the word emeritus and its variations. We’ll also cover other ways to say emeritus and how to use the word emeritus in a sentence.

What Does the Word Emeritus Mean?

According to The Free Dictionary, the adjective emeritus refers to a person who is retired but retains the right to use an honorary title of their previous position. This is most commonly used with professors at universities who are referred to as professor emeritus after retirement.

The pronunciation of emeritus is ɪˈmɛr ɪ təs. The pronunciation of emeriti, the plural of emeritus, is ɪˈmɛr ɪˌtaɪ. The word emeritus is four syllables: e-mer-i-tus. There is also the feminine form emerita, which can refer to a female emeritus, such as a professor emerita.

What Is the Origin of Emeritus?

Lexico states that the term emeritus is Latin in origin and comes directly from the Latin ēmeritus. This term has been used in English since the mid-18th century and comes from the past participle of ēmerērī or ēmerēre.

This is a Latin word that means to earn discharge by service. Take the root e (a variant of ex or “out of”), and couple it with the root mereri, meaning to earn. These are Indo-European roots.

How Can the Word Emeritus Be Used in a Sentence?

Emeritus can refer to a person who formerly held an important position in their given field and wishes to retain that title after their retirement. The word emeritus often comes after the title itself. Check out these example sentences containing the word emeritus to see how the word emeritus is used.

The long-term emeritus professor from Princeton University started a scholarship for students who had been in active service or who had given sufficient service to volunteer programs.

Austin, the pastor, could not believe he would finally be considered emeritus. This was a highly valued rank, but he couldn’t dream of stopping his assigned duties. He looked forward to studying the teachings of the Pope and various rabbis with his time off.

The veteran crime reporter was ready to hang up her hat and become emerita. She would take over for the retired chair of the department, a wretched emeritus and popular policeman who was corrupt.

It had been years since the officer of a college police force was on active professional duty, but he still decided to retain the honorific version of his previous title detective and go by detective emeritus.

Her performance of public duty and faithful services in the face of infirmity and on account of age led the university to grant Lolita emerita status.

What Are Synonyms of Emeritus?

The word emeritus refers to a very specific title for a retired honoree and is not always accurate in other situations. However, Power Thesaurus provides a list of synonyms for emeritus that can be used in its place. These words can be sued if a person is honored or retired but is not technically considered an emeritus or emerita:

aged
associate
bob
causa
cidevant
cloistered
complete
discharged
dishonor
distinguished
done working
elderly
emerita
former
honor
honorable
honorary
honored
honorific
humble
in retirement
in the distance
inactive
insular
old
outgoing
pensioned
pensioned off
pensioner
resigned
retired
retiring
secluded
shy
superannuated
venerable
visiting professor
well-earned
withdrawn

What Are Other Translations of Emeritus?

The word emeritus is Latin, but you can refer to a person who is retired in many other languages,.

Finnish: eläkkeellä
Tamil: ஓய்வு பெற்றது
Thai: เกษียณแล้ว
Catalan: jubilat
Chinese (PRC): 退休
Japanese: 退院しました
Spanish: retirado
Telugu: రిటైర్
Serbian: пензионисан
Greek: συνταξιούχος
Filipino: retirado
Italian: pensionato
Portuguese (Portugal): aposentado
Norwegian: pensjonert
Dutch: gepensioneerd
Hebrew: פרש
Arabic: متقاعد
Hindi: सेवेन िवरित
Portuguese (Brazil): aposentado
Latvian: pensionēts
Lithuanian: išėjęs į pensiją
German: im Ruhestand
Slovenian: Upokojen
Icelandic: eftirlaun
Gujarati: નિવૃત્ત
Urdu: ریٹائرڈ
Turkish: emekli
Korean: 은퇴했다
Polish: na emeryturze
Vietnamese: nghỉ hưu.
Estonian: pensionile jäänud
French: retraité
Romanian: retras
Malay: bersara
Chinese (Taiwan): 退休
Russian: ушедший на пенсию
Bulgarian: пенсионер
Croatian: u mirovini
Danish: pensioneret
Welsh: wedi ymddeol
Kannada: ನಿವೃತ್ತರಾದ
Czech: v důchodu
Malayalam: വിരമിച്ച
Amharic: ጡረታ ወጥቷል
Indonesian: pensiun
Slovak: odišiel do dôchodku
Basque: erretitartakatu
Bengali: অবসরপ্রাপ্ত
Swedish: pensionerad
Swahili: Mstaafu
Hungarian: nyugdíjas
Marathi: निवृत्त
Ukrainian: відставлений

Other Common Latin Phrases

Your Dictionary also states many different Latin words and phrases that are used in the English language. How many of these do you know?

Pro forma: As a matter of form
Ipso facto: By the fact itself
Ad nauseam: To the point of sickness
Cum laude: With honor
Carpe diem: Seize the day
Et cetera: And the rest of such things
Rigor mortis: The stiffness of death
Vice versa: The position being reversed
E pluribus unum: Out of many, one
De facto: In fact
Pro bono: For the good
Mea culpa: Through my own fault
Caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware
Bona fide: In good faith
Per diem: For each day

Conclusion

Overall, the word emeritus (ɪˈmɛrɪtə.) is used to refer to a person who is retired but who retains their status or title of their previously held position. This word is most often used to refer to a retired professor.

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.