sherpa
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Sherpa¹
- /ˈʃɝpə/ US
Where it comes from
From Tibetan ཤར་པ། (shar pa, literally “eastern people”), from ཤར (shar, “east”) + པ (pa, nominalizing suffix). The reason for this derivation is unclear, but a common explanation notes that the Sherpas originated in eastern Tibet. The community is based in the Nepalese highlands, however, which is south of Tibet.
noun Sherpas · Sherpa
- A member of a particular Himalayan ethnic group living in Nepal and Tibet, known especially as mountaineers.
- A high-ranking government official who works tirelessly in the background to conclude the text of an official communiqué, typically from a G7 or G20 summit. Sherpas from the European Union and 19 countries worked through the week to salvage a meaningful joint statement, culminating in an all-night session on Friday.
proper noun
- The Southern Tibetan language of these people.
sherpa²
- /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)pə/
Where it comes from
From Sherpa. The verb derives from the noun.
noun sherpas
- A local mountain guide or porter, particularly a male of the Nepalese Sherpa people so employed. Climbers have warned of overcrowding on K2 — the world’s second highest mountain and one of its deadliest — after a sherpa took video of queues snaking towards the summit.
- An expert accompanying a high-ranking leader to a summit meeting.
- A synthetic fabric with a long, thick pile, similar to faux fur, imitation lamb wool, or fleece.
verb sherpas · sherpaing · sherpaed
- To serve as a guide or porter for another.
Translations
Talk about this word "sherpa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sherpa. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sherpa. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sherpa "sherpa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sherpa.Cite this
@misc{sherpa_2026,
title = {sherpa},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sherpa},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
