emeritus

The story

1. Latin · borrowed fromēmeritī
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)mer-“to allot; to assign”
3. Latin · learned borrowing fromēmeritus“(having been) earned, (having been) merited; (having been) served, having done one’s service”
4. English todayemeritus

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin ēmeritus (“(having been) earned, (having been) merited; (having been) served, having done one’s service”), the perfect passive participle of ēmereō (“to earn, merit; to gain by service; (military) to complete one’s obligation to serve, to serve out one’s time”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + mereō (“to deserve, merit; to acquire, earn, get, obtain; to render service to; to serve”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to allot; to assign”)). The noun is derived from the adjective. The plural form emeriti is borrowed from Latin ēmeritī.

Words from the same roots