sherpa
/ˈʃɝpə/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms sherpas sherpaing sherpaed
- noun (countable) A local mountain guide or porter, particularly a male of the Nepalese Sherpa people so employed.
- noun (countable) An expert accompanying a high-ranking leader to a summit meeting.
- noun A synthetic fabric with a long, thick pile, similar to faux fur, imitation lamb wool, or fleece.
- verb (rare) To serve as a guide or porter for another.
- noun A member of a particular Himalayan ethnic group living in Nepal and Tibet, known especially as mountaineers.
- noun A high-ranking government official who works tirelessly in the background to conclude the text of an official communiqué, typically from a G7 or G20 summit.
- proper noun The Southern Tibetan language of these people.
Etymology
From Sherpa. The verb derives from the noun.
From Tibetan ཤར་པ། (shar pa, literally “eastern people”), from ཤར (shar, “east”) + པ (pa, nominalizing suffix). The reason for this derivation is unclear, but a common explanation notes that the Sherpas originated in eastern Tibet. The community is based in the Nepalese highlands, however, which is south of Tibet.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “sherpa”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details