Emeritus

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For the assisted living corporation, see Emeritus assisted living

Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: [əˈmɛrɪtəs] or [ɪˈmɛrɪtəs]) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. Emerita (IPA pronunciation: [ɪˈmɛrɪtə]) was used for women, but is rarely used today. The term is used when a person of importance in a given profession retires, so that his or her former rank can still be used in his or her title. This is particularly useful when establishing the authority a person might have to comment, lecture or write on a particular subject.

The word is typically used as a postposition adjective but can also be used as a preposition adjective. It is frequently capitalized when it forms part of a title. The word originated in the mid-18th century from Latin as the past participle of emereri meaning to "earn one's discharge by service". Emereri itself is a compound of the prefix e- (a variant of ex-) meaning "out of or from" and merēre meaning "earn". The word is always associated with the title, not the name, of a person. For example, "Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Alex Robertson".

It is said that media baron Rupert Murdoch once told one of his editors exactly how they should understand their new emeritus status, in the wake of the Hitler diaries fiasco: "'E' means exit and 'meritus' means you bloody deserve it!".<ref>A Press Lord Without a Rosebud — New York Times newspaper article, 17 January 1993.</ref>