English edit

Etymology edit

Latin mentrix or mentor +‎ -trix.

Noun edit

mentrix (plural mentrices)

  1. A female mentor.
    • 1897, Edward Arthur Brayley Hodgetts, A Russian Wild Flower: Or, The Story of a Woman in Search of a Life, City of Westminster, London: John Macqueen, page 193:
      Olga had indeed learned that the church had appointed certain days and seasons for fasting, but thought she had herself fasted in a fashion, she had never suspected that she was imitating Christ, and she had never been told that the oil was a necessary part of the observance. Anxious to please her new mentrix she tried to swallow the nasty stuff, but the flesh was weak and, moreover, rebellious; and thus the first experiment in religious discipline proved a failure.
    • 1994, Medieval Feminist Newsletter:
      Finally, as women scholars — at every career level — we must never underestimate our value as mentors — or mentrices.
    • 1997 June 11, Socrates, “Re: Mentor/Mentee ?”, in alt.usage.english (Usenet), message-ID <339F1D8E.4DF2@forum.edu>:
      But shouldn't the verb form be "ment"? The mentor mented his mentees. / His wife, also a mentrix, or one of his daughters, both mentrices, took over menting when he was away.
    • 1999, Richard Fardon, Wim van Binsbergen, Rijk van Dijk, editors, Modernity on a Shoestring: Dimensions of Globalization, Consumption and Development in Africa and Beyond: Based on an EIDOS Conference Held at The Hague, 13–16 March 1997, page 231:
      Each girl is instructed by a mentrix (nacimbusa, plural banacimbusa), who is helped by other women. Apart from being themselves initiated and authorized to perform these rites, the mentrices must be women who are well-respected in society, who maintain a good standard of family life, and whose conduct is above reproach.
    • 2000 December 3, Matthew B. Tepper, “Re: Scandinavia/Finland was Crusell: LITTLE SLAVE GIRL”, in rec.music.opera (Usenet), message-ID <smAW5.42901$nh5.3035519@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>:
      One of my mentors (mentrixes? mentrices?), fantasy-horror novelist Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, who proudly claims Finnish heritage*, asserts quite strongly that the Finns are not Scandinavians. They certainly aren't Slavs either.

Synonyms edit