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mentor

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mentor¹

  • /ˈmɛn.tɔː/ UK
  • /ˈmɛn.toə/ UK
  • /ˈmɛn.toɹ/ Canada, US
  • /ˈmɛn.tɚ/ Canada, US
  • /ˈmen.toː/ Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛntə(ɹ), -ɛntɔː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From French mentor, from Ancient Greek Μέντωρ (Méntōr, “Mentor”), a mythological character in the Odyssey, whose name, a historical name from Ancient Greece, shares the same root as English mind. Cognate to Sanskrit मन्तृ (mantṛ, “advisor, counselor”) and Latin monitor (“one who admonishes”), and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *monéyeti (compare Latin moneō (“to warn”), causative form of *men- (“to think”).

noun mentors

  1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. Many mentors claim that they would work with the vocationers for free because of the sense of satisfaction the interaction provides.

verb mentors · mentoring · mentored

  1. transitive To act as someone's mentor. After him came several deshi, or followers he had mentored.

Mentor²

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Μέντωρ (Méntōr, “Mentor”).

proper noun Mentors

  1. Greek, countable, uncountable Odysseus's trusted counselor. He was assigned the responsibility of raising Odysseus's son Telemachus while Odysseus was away fighting in Troy.
  2. countable A male given name from Ancient Greek.
  3. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Jefferson Township, Dubois County, Indiana.
  4. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Saline County, Kansas.
  5. countable, uncountable A minor city in Campbell County, Kentucky.
  6. countable, uncountable A township in Cheboygan County, Michigan.
  7. countable, uncountable A township in Oscoda County, Michigan.
  8. countable, uncountable A minor city in Polk County, Minnesota.
  9. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Greene County, Missouri.
  10. countable, uncountable A city in Lake County, Ohio, the largest place with this name, named after the Greek Mentor.
  11. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Garfield County, Washington.
  12. countable, uncountable A ghost town in Jackson County, West Virginia.
  13. countable, uncountable A town in Clark County, Wisconsin.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: wise man, mentee, tutoring, counsellor, counselor, master, counselling, instructor, coaching, tutor, teacher, sponsorship, supervise, educate, consultant, training

Translations

Every language

noun wise and trusted counselor or teacher

Españolmentor
한국어멘토 mento
日本語メンター mentā
中文指導者 /指导者 zhǐdǎozhě, 導師 /导师 dǎoshī
हिन्दीमार्गदर्शक mārgadarśak
Portuguêsmentor
Françaismentor
DeutschMentor, Vertrauensperson, Vertrauenslehrer
Italianomentore, pigmalione, tutore
Ελληνικάμέντορας méntoras
Русскийнаста́вник nastávnik, ме́нтор méntor
עבריתמַנְחֶה manẖé, חוֹנֵךְ ẖonéch

verb to act as someone's mentor

Deutschbetreuen

name Odysseus's counselor

EspañolMéntor
日本語メントール Mentōru
PortuguêsMentor
FrançaisMentor
DeutschMentor
ItalianoMentore
ΕλληνικάΜέντωρ Méntor

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Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{mentor_2026,
  title = {mentor},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mentor},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}