Word for Wednesday: Mentor

blog home

Our Word for Wednesday theme for June is words that derive from Greek mythology. So far, we’ve looked at the words atlas and chaos. Today’s word is mentor.

A mentor is a wise and trusted guide and advisor who may serve as a teacher or counsellor. Here is mentor used in some example sentences:

  • Yoda is Luke Skywalker’s Jedi mentor.
  •  She mentored young artists in her free time. 
  • I am looking for a mentor to learn from as I grow my business.

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the advisor to Telemachus (the son of Odysseus and Penelope who are the central characters in Homer’s Odyssey). 

In many versions of the myth, the goddess Athena disguised herself as Mentor and convinced Telemachus to stand up to his mother’s suitors and search for his missing father who had not returned from the Trojan War.

The word has been used in English to describe an advisor or counsellor since 1750 and to describe the act of mentoring since 1888.
 


15 Jun 2022
blog home

Sign up to remove this advert

"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill