Etymologically
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mentor

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 18:26. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mɑ̃.tɔʁ/[1]
  • IPA: /mɛ̃.tɔʁ/[1]

Forms

mentor m (plural mentors)[1]

Etymology

It is the use as a common noun of Mentor, the French form of Ancient Greek Μέντωρ (Méntōr), the friend of Odysseus in the “Odyssey” whose likeness Athena took to guide and teach Telemachus.[2][3][4][5][1][6] The name, found in French from the 16th century, was made famous by Fénelon's “Aventures de Télémaque” (1699), where Minerva in Mentor's form is the young prince's tutor.[2][3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The revised TLF dates it from Lesage's Bachelier de Salamanque (1739), where the hero is to be regarded “as a Mentor” to the young man in his charge;[2] the older TLFi date is 1749 (Montesquieu), and Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert cite Saint-Simon early in the century.[8][4][5]

Semantic evolution

A mentor is a wise, experienced adviser, and especially the person who guides a young man's upbringing or travels, as the abbé Prévost's dictionary defines it in 1755.[2][3] Rousseau used it figuratively of a book (about 1770).[9] The word is literary, and it has been officially recommended in place of the anglicism coach.[10][11]

The old pronunciation with men-, given by the Académie in 1835, was already rejected by Littré; it is now said like main-.[8][7]

Timeline

  • 16th century – The name Mentor in French.[2]
  • 1699 – Fénelon's Télémaque.[3][2]
  • 1739 – Comme un Mentor (Lesage).[2]
  • 1749 – A common noun (Montesquieu).[8][3]
  • 1755 – First recorded in a dictionary (Prévost).[2]
  • 1762 – First recorded by the Académie.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (literary) A mentor, a wise and experienced adviser or guide: servir de mentor à quelqu'un.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 752b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)