mentee

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mentee

/mɛnˈtiː/ UK

Where it comes from

Back-formation from mentor. Although mentor comes from Ancient Greek Μέντωρ (Méntōr), the name of a mythological figure, it was mistakenly analyzed as terminating in the suffix -or (“doer”), leading to a form using the French patientive suffix -ee on the model of pairs such as donor–donee and employer–employee. Attested since at least 1958.

noun mentees

A person who is being mentored. Near-synonyms: apprentice, buddy (in training sense), intern, pupil, student, trainee
Similar: mentoree, protégé, apprentice, buddy, intern, pupil, student, trainee · Opposite: mentor, teacher

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MLA

"mentee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mentee. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mentee. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mentee

Chicago

"mentee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mentee.

BibTeX

@misc{mentee_2026,
  title = {mentee},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mentee},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}