Meanings
plural emerita
- Ancient RomanhistoryA bounty awarded to a soldier upon the completion of his term of service.
At the expiration of the term of service, the soldiers received a bounty or donation in land or money, which was sometimes called emeritum; those who had served their time out being also called emeriti.
1854, Johann Joachim Eschenburg, Manual of Classical Literature, page 275
Origin
- Latinēmeritum“a thing earned upon completion of a term of service”
- Englishemeritum
From the Latin ēmeritum (“a thing earned upon completion of a term of service”), a substantive use of the neuter singular form of ēmeritus (“earned, merited, having been earned; served, having done one’s service”), the perfect passive participle of ēmereō (“to earn, to merit”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
emeritum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emeritum
“emeritum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emeritum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “emeritum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/emeritum.
Source: emeritum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.