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If I am Rita's coach, is Rita my *coachee? (yikes) Is that even a word? Would it be correct instead to say she is my ward? What about terms for people at the other end of a mentor, sponsor relationship?

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2 Answers

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Coachee is indeed a valid word, but often not widely used. I would suggest pupil or trainee instead.

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The OED reports that coach means "an instructor or trainer in sport"; in that case, I would not use pupil. – kiamlaluno Mar 8 '11 at 11:20
That's not the only meaning of coach (as a title) though. We also have concepts like "life coach". – Kosmonaut Jun 2 '11 at 13:29
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You need to qualify the terms to find suitable counterparts.

If you are Rita's coach (sports) then Rita might be a member of your team.

If you are Rita's guardian (parental) then Rita might be your ward.

If you are Rita's mentor then Rita might be your trainee (in education) or disciple (spiritual).

Update: @Malvolio suggests protégé, which I think is the best answer so far.

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mentee has also gained quite a bit of ground, recently. – Jimi Oke Mar 8 '11 at 13:14
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God, I hate mentee. The word is protégé. – Malvolio May 31 '11 at 17:47
@Malvolio - protégé is probably the best answer. Add it as an answer and I'll delete mine. – Ed Guiness Jun 1 '11 at 7:43

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