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

So did Brewers lefty Nestor Cortes – a former Yankee – who said Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino, now with the Reds, actually began swinging the bats in 2024. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025

The Brewers starting pitcher, Nestor Cortes Jr., had his first three pitches struck out of the park by Aaron Judge, then Paul Goldschmidt, and finally, Cody Bellinger, leading to an early lead for the Yankees. —Mansee Khurana, NPR, 30 Mar. 2025

Goldschmidt, batting leadoff for the first time, opened with a 413-foot homer off Nestor Cortes and Bellinger followed with a 451-foot drive that initially didn’t register with Statcast. —Larry Fleisher, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025

On December 13, the Yankees shipped lefty starter Nestor Cortes and prospect Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee for closer Devin Williams. —Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Nestōr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Nestor

• ester
• esther
• fester
• jester
• nester
• pester
• prester
• quaestor
• tester
• wester
• yester
• ancestor