Mentor Was a Character in the Odyssey
A mentor is an experienced adviser. The word comes from the man Odysseus left in charge of his son.
A mentor is an experienced person who advises a less experienced one. The name comes from Homer: Mentor was the friend Odysseus left in charge of his household and his son Telemachus. In the poem, Athena repeatedly takes Mentor's form to give advice, so the original mentor was in fact a goddess in disguise.
- An experienced adviser. *A career mentor.*
- To advise. *She mentored him for years.*
- Mentee â the person advised. *A mentee on the scheme.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mentor | A trusted mentor. |
| Plural | mentors | Two mentors. |
| Verb | mentor | Mentor a colleague. |
| Noun | mentoring | A mentoring scheme. |
| Noun | mentee | A new mentee. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Mentor was a character in the Odyssey.Homer.
- Athena appeared in his form.To advise Telemachus.
- Mentoring differs from coaching.See below.
Mentoring and related roles
- Mentor â shares experience over a long relationship
- Coach â helps develop specific skills or performance
- Sponsor â advocates for someone's advancement
- Supervisor â has formal responsibility for work
- Mentee or protĂ©gĂ© â the person receiving guidance
From Greek *Mentor*, the character in the Odyssey. The general sense entered European languages through Fénelon's 1699 novel Télémaque.
Mentor or coach?
A mentor shares broad experience over time. A coach focuses on developing specific skills or performance.
Is *mentee* a proper word?
It is widely used, though some object that it treats *mentor* as if it contained a verb. Protégé is the older alternative.