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A '''gerondageronta''' (Greek, pronounced ''yeronda'') or '''staretz''' (Russian) (both literally meaning '''elder''') is a holy person gifted with the [[charism]] of spiritual direction, often a [[monk]] or [[hermit ]] (not necessarily a [[priest]]), in the Church. The plural of the Russian form is ''startsy''. [ Russian, elder, starets, from Old Church Slavonic ''starĭtsĭ'', elder, from ''starŭ'', old.] Other forms: ''stareţ''; ''starĭtsa'' or ''gerontissa'' for women.