mentor

M3E1N1T1O1R1
UK/ˈmɛn.tɔː/UK/ˈmɛn.toə/Canada, US/ˈmɛn.toɹ/Canada, US/ˈmɛn.tɚ/

noun

A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

OriginFrench mentor ← Ancient Greek Μέντωρ ← Proto-Indo-European *monéyeti →
CommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

mentor1

nounmentor (plural mentors)

plural mentors

  1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

    I thought he was supposed to be my mentor. But, in actuality, what did I know about the often beguiling world of adults?

    2009, Reif Larsen, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, Pinguin Books, page 26
    1 more example

    Many mentors claim that they would work with the vocationers for free because of the sense of satisfaction the interaction provides.

    2006, Lisa Johnson, Mind Your X's and Y's
verbmentor (third-person singular simple present mentors, present participle mentoring, simple past and past participle mentored)

present singular third person mentors · participle present mentoring · participle past mentored · past mentored

  1. transitiveTo act as someone's mentor.

    After him came several deshi, or followers he had mentored.

    2008 September 8, Richard Halloran, “Japan’s rapid succession of prime ministers belies its global role”, in Taipei Times, Taipai, page 9
    1 more example

    I want to get people motivated about mentoring students, to help them get excited about staying in school, finding their passion, and starting a career.

    2016 September 16, Soledad O'Brien, “Soledad O'Brien: We Should Rethink What Mentoring Means”, in Time, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2025

Mentor2

proper nounMentor (countable and uncountable, plural Mentors)

plural Mentors

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

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
preceptor

Origin

mentor · noun, verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*monéyeti
  2. Ancient GreekΜέντωρ“Mentor”
  3. Frenchmentor
  4. Englishmentor

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”).

More words from French, Ancient Greek, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Mentor · proper noun

  1. Ancient GreekΜέντωρ
  2. Ancient GreekΜέντωρ
  3. EnglishMentor

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

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Μέντωρ
  • Μέντωρ (Méntōr)Odysseus's counselor
Bulgarian наставник, ментор
  • наставник (nastavnik)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • ментор (mentor)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • наставлявам (nastavljavam)to act as someone's mentor
  • МенторOdysseus's counselor
Chinese Mandarin 指導者 /指导者, 導師 /导师
  • 指導者 /指导者 (zhǐdǎozhě)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • 導師 /导师 (dǎoshī)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
Danish mentor, Mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Dutch mentor, leidsman
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • leidsmanwise and trusted counselor or teacher
Esperanto mentoro
  • mentorowise and trusted counselor or teacher
Finnish ohjaaja, oppi-isä
  • ohjaajawise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • oppi-isäwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • mentoriwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • opastaato act as someone's mentor
  • ohjatato act as someone's mentor
  • mentoroidato act as someone's mentor
French mentor, Mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
German Mentor, Vertrauensperson
  • Mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • Vertrauenspersonwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • Vertrauenslehrerwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • betreuento act as someone's mentor
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Greek μέντορας, Μέντωρ
  • μέντορας (méntoras)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • Μέντωρ (Méntor)Odysseus's counselor
Hebrew מַנְחֶה, חוֹנֵךְ
  • מַנְחֶה (manẖé)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • חוֹנֵךְ (ẖonéch)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
Hindi मार्गदर्शक
  • मार्गदर्शक (mārgadarśak)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
Indonesian mentor, pembimbing
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • pembimbingwise and trusted counselor or teacher
Italian mentore, pigmalione
  • mentorewise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • pigmalionewise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • tutorewise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentoreOdysseus's counselor
Japanese メンター, メントール
  • メンター (mentā)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • メントール (Mentōru)Odysseus's counselor
Korean 멘토
  • 멘토 (mento)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
Latin Mentor
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Polish mentor, Mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Portuguese mentor, Mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Russian наста́вник, ме́нтор
  • наста́вник (nastávnik)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • ме́нтор (méntor)wise and trusted counselor or teacher
Spanish mentor, Méntor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MéntorOdysseus's counselor
Swedish mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher
Turkish hoca, Mentor
  • hocawise and trusted counselor or teacher
  • MentorOdysseus's counselor
Welsh mentor
  • mentorwise and trusted counselor or teacher

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with mentor

centerentercentreinventorpresenterrentercentaurreenterventerstentortormentoraugmenterpreventerdissentertenterfermenterindenterdementorfermentoraccentorincenterabsenterassenterbarycentre
All rhymes →

Anagrams

MertonMortenmontremetronMontertormenErmontMernotmeronttermon
Cite this entry
APA

mentor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mentor

MLA

“mentor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mentor. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mentor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mentor.

Source: mentor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.