Skip to content
word of the day

Table of Contents

The word for today is…

emeritus (noun, adjective) –

noun
a person retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an honorary title the rank of the last office held

adjective
1 : holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service
2 : retired from an office or position – professor emeritus

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology :The adjective emeritus is unusual in two ways: it’s frequently used postpositively (that is, after the noun it modifies), and it has a plural form—emeriti—when it modifies a plural noun in its second sense. If you’ve surmised from these qualities that the word is Latin in origin, you are correct. Emeritus, which is the Latin past participle of the verb emereri, meaning “to serve out one’s term,” was originally used to describe soldiers who had completed their duty. (Emereri is from the prefix e-, meaning “out,” and merere, meaning “to earn, deserve, or serve”—also the source of our English word merit.) By the early 18th century, English speakers were using emeritus as an adjective to refer to professors who had retired from office. The word eventually came to be applied to other professions where a retired member may continue to hold a title in an honorary capacity.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

The Good Oil Podcast – Episode 27 – Eeryk McRae

The Good Oil Podcast – Episode 27 – Eeryk McRae

Passionate, articulate and sharply tuned to the political mood of the moment, Eeryk dives into government overreach, the rise of active young voices in online political debate and the increasingly fractured state of public discourse.

Members Public
The Good Oil Word of the Day

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is… equanimity (noun) - 1: evenness of mind especially under stress 2: right disposition : balance Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : If you think "equanimity" looks like it has something to do with "equal," you've guessed correctly. Both "equanimity" and "

Members Public