ē-mĕrĕo — Lewis & Short
ē-mĕrĕo, ŭi, ĭtum, 2, v. a., and (perh. not ante-Aug.) ē-mĕrĕor, ĭtus, 2,
I v. dep. a.
I To obtain by service, to gain, earn, merit, deserve.
A In gen. (rare;
not in Cic.): quid ego emerui mali?Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 5:
honores,Prop. 4 (5), 11, 61.
mihi altior sollicitudo, quale judicium hominum, emererer, accessit,Quint. 4, prooem. § 1; cf.:
emerendi favoris gratia canunt,id. 4, 1, 2: pecuniam ex eo quaestu uberem, Gell, 6, 7, 5.—Poet., with inf. clause as object:
Ennius emeruit Contiguus poni, Scipio magne, tibi,Ov. A. A. 3, 410; cf. id. F. 4, 58.—Pass., in the part. perf.:
emerito caput insere caelo,Sil. 7, 19; so id. 11, 464; Sid. Carm. 2, 209.—
B In Tib. and Ov. emerere aliquem, like demereri aliquem, to gain the favor of any one, to deserve well of, to lay under obligation:
viros,Tib. 1, 9, 60; Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 52; id. Am. 2, 8, 24; id. Her. 6, 138.—Far more frequent,
II To serve out, complete one's term of service.
A Prop., in milit. lang.:
spes emerendi stipendia,Liv. 25, 6; in part. perf.:
emerita stipendia,Sall. J. 84, 2 Kritz.; Cic. de Sen. 14, 49; Liv. 3, 57; 21, 43 al.:
militia,Suet. Calig. 44:
arma,Plin. Pan. 15, 3:
anni,Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 21; cf. id. F. 3, 43.—As a v. dep.:
stipendia emeritus,Val. Max. 6, 1, 10.—Hence, subst. ēmĕrĭ-tus, i, m., a soldier who has served out his time, a veteran, an exempt, Tac. A. 1, 28; Suet. Aug. 24; Luc. 1, 344 al.—
B Transf. beyond the milit. sphere:
annuum tempus (sc. magistratus) emeritum habere,Cic. Att. 6, 5, 3; cf.:
annuae operae emerentur,id. ib. 6, 2, 6:
spatium juventae (homo) transit, et emeritis medii quoque temporis annis, etc.,Ov. M. 15, 226.—In part. perf.: emeritus, a, um (since the Aug. per. in the mid. signif.), that has become unfit for service, worn out:
equi,Ov. F. 4, 688; cf.:
apes fessae et jam emeritae,Plin. 11, 11, 11, § 27; so,
palmes,id. 17, 23, 35, § 206:
aratrum,Ov. F. 1, 665:
latus (with invalidum),id. Am. 3, 11, 14:
acus,Juv. 6, 498:
rogus,i. e. burned out, extinguished, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 72.