The name Odyssey comes from the title of the epic poem attributed to the Greek poet Homer.

For nearly three thousand years, folks have been enjoying the 24 books of the Odyssey, accounts of the adventures and travels of its hero Odysseus during the years immediately following the Trojan War.

Although Homer's Odyssey was written in the glory days of ancient Greece, the uncapitalized odyssey wasn't borrowed into English until the late 1800s. Even with the time lag, there was no mistaking the word's origin; odyssey can name either "a long voyage or wandering usually marked by many changes of fortune" or "an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest."

Odyssey isn't the only word from that tale to make its way into our lexicon. The term mentor also comes from the poem. According to Homer, while Odysseus was away, the education of his son Telemachus was entrusted to a man named Mentor. Both the broad definition of mentor (a trusted counselor or guide) and the word's more specific sense, "a tutor or coach," honor Odysseus' friend.