Nestor

noun

Nes·​tor ˈne-stər 

-ˌstȯr

1

: a king of Pylos who serves in his old age as a counselor to the Greeks at Troy

2

often not capitalized : one who is a patriarch or leader in a field

Did you know?

Nestor was another character from the Iliad, the eldest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War. A great warrior as a young man, he was now noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged. These days, a nestor is not necessarily long-winded, but merely wise and generous with his advice.

Synonyms

• dean
• doyen
• elder
• elder statesman
• éminence grise
• senior

Examples of Nestor in a Sentence

as the grizzled nestor of American film critics, he greatly influences what other reviewers write

Recent Examples on the Web

In Guest Actor in a Drama, Shōgun triumphed again, this time with first-time winner Nestor Carbonell. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024

His grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1 against Nestor Cortes lifted the Dodgers to a 7-3 win that set the tone for the series. —Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Without the error, no run scores and the Dodgers lose, 2-1. —The Yankees bring in Nestor Cortes, who hasn’t pitched since mid-September, instead of Tim Hill, who has been really good this postseason (as evidenced in Game 2). —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2024

Last night, manager Aaron Boone chose to bring in Nestor Cortes to close out the 10th inning rather than Hill, who has been a reliable arm in the postseason. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Nestōr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1