Mentee: A Word in Progress

If there are mentors, are there necessarily mentees?

The Directors Guild refers to participants in its mentor training program as mentees, assuming as long as advisers have advisees, mentors have mentees.

The word has its roots in Greek mythology with the teacher Mentor, where mentees were never mentioned. While mentee has yet to enter dictionaries, according to Jim Lowe, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, the usage might be considered acceptable. The term has had four official sightings since 1977 and might be included in Merriam-Webster’s next unabridged version.

Like Hollywood’s mentees, the word is a work in progress.