In a StarTribune article “Say What? A guide to words worth using and losing in 2011” it was noted how hundreds of new or invented words are born daily to the English language. One of the words that born perhaps 20 years ago, when formal mentoring became popular, is “mentee”. This word was created to describe the role of a person being mentored. Lightsey Darst, a poet and writing instructor aptly notes that the term mentee is “ugly, and you can’t 'ment' someone. Plus it sounds like the singular of Mentos”. To this I would add, if one no longer has a mentor, would that make him or her a 'dementee'? Ouch!
Instead of the term mentee, other words such as friend, youth, student, apprentice, or even protégée can be used. Here’s to a mentee free 2011 filled with lots more mentors!
And never refer to someone taking a test as a "testee."
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