What does emeritus mean?
Word: Emeritus
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Used with a title such as professor to show that the person has retired but has been allowed to keep the title as an honour for long and good service.
Word origin: Comes from Latin emeritus, 'having earned by service', from a verb meaning 'to earn fully'.
How do you spell emeritus?
Syllables: e - mer - i - tus
Tricky part: The word ends in the Latin -us, not -ous as in famous. Emeritous is the slip examiners see most often.
Watch out for: emeritous, emeritis, emeretus
Memory tip: Emeritus is still pure Latin, and like campus and cactus it keeps the short Latin -us at the end.
Emeritus in a sentence
Example 1: Dr Rao is now a professor emeritus, but he still visits the physics lab every Thursday.
Example 2: The university invited its emeritus faculty to the centenary celebrations.
Example 3: After forty years at the institute, my grandmother was made an emeritus scientist.
Fun Fact
Because emeritus is a Latin word, a group of such professors is sometimes called emeriti, and a woman holding the honour may be called professor emerita.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
stuermie 12345678
a) 32685741
b) 54873216
c) 46857231
d) 45612378
Show answer
c) 46857231. Put in that order, the letters give the honour title for a retired professor.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
At the science fair, the professor emmeritus of chemistry praised a class project on a simple water filter.
a) a device that removes dirt from water
b) a large event where students show what they have made
c) a piece of work planned and carried out by students
d) having retired from a post but keeping its title as an honour
Show answer
d) having retired from a post but keeping its title as an honour. The misspelt word is emeritus, which has a single m; it describes someone retired with honour.
Spellacadabra
Choose the word in which the same letter fits in both blanks:
a) m__n__te
b) __m__ritus
c) pr__m__se
d) c__m__ra
Show answer
b) __m__ritus. Emeritus takes e in both blanks; minute needs i and u, camera a and e, promise o and i.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Dr Menon has retired, but the university has let her keep her title as an honour. She is now an ___ professor.
a) adjunct
b) associate
c) emeritus
d) assistant
Show answer
c) emeritus. Assistant, associate and adjunct professors are still teaching; only an emeritus professor has retired with the title.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who is most likely to be given the title emeritus?
a) a teacher after thirty years of service
b) a pupil on her very first day
c) a cricketer in his debut match
d) a clerk who joined only last week
Show answer
a) a teacher after thirty years of service
2. Which of these people is least likely to be called emeritus?
a) a professor who retired in 2020
b) a lecturer in her first year
c) a scientist honoured after forty years
d) a retired head of a science institute
Show answer
b) a lecturer in her first year
