Why this word is great
STARETS — [Noun] An Eastern Orthodox elder, typically a monk or hieromonk, renowned for holy wisdom and serving as a spiritual adviser and teacher. From Russian ста́рец (stárec, "elder"), derived from старый (staryĭ, "old"). Unlike "guru" (which carries the scent of incense and distant mountains) or "confessor" (which suggests the transactional anonymity of the confessional booth), a starets is a figure of weathered authority, his wisdom honed by decades of prayer and silence. He is the candlelit face in the corner of a monastery cell, the gnarled hand tracing the sign of the cross over a bowed head, the voice that speaks not in platitudes but in parables—a living bridge between the frailty of man and the patience of God.