mentee

English

Etymology

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

mentee (plural mentees)

1. A person who is being mentored.

   Synonyms: mentoree, protégé

   Antonyms: mentor, teacher

   Coordinate terms: aid, assistant, helper

   Near-synonyms: apprentice, buddy (in training sense), intern, pupil, student, trainee

   • 1958, Laurence E. Leamer, “Economic Education in Colleges”, in Educating Youth for Economic Competence (American Business Education Yearbook)‎^[1], volume 15, Eastern Business Teachers Association, page 49:

     The mentee occasionally teaches the class, regularly confers with students, conducts optional special study sessions, and relieves the professor of most clerical classroom functions

   • 1979 April 11, Robert A. Cohn, “'Norma Rae' Gets an 'A'”, in St. Louis Jewish Light‎^[2], page 14:

     [T]he two characters form a beautiful mentor-mentee relationship in which each derives tremendous strength from the other

   • 2023 January 11, Peter Bradshaw, “Tár review – Cate Blanchett is perfect lead in delirious, sensual drama”, in The Guardian‎^[3], →ISSN:

     Her assistant, played by Noémie Merlant (another would-be conductor) appears to be someone else she is keeping on an emotional string, and she is being stalked by another former mentee who has become obsessed with her; […]

Derived terms

• e-mentee

Anagrams

• meeten, temene