The word "Sherpa" is derived from the Sherpa language meaning what?

A Sherpa is one of the ethnic native Tibetan groups/peoples in the most mountainous regions of Nepal in the Himalayas. The term sherpa or sherwa derives from the Sherpa language words ཤར shar ("east") and པ pa ("people"), which refer to their geographical origin of eastern Tibet.

Many Sherpas are highly regarded as elite mountaineers, experts in their local area, and were valuable to early explorers in the Himalayan region, serving as guides to the extreme altitudes, peaks, and passes in the region, particularly for expeditions to Mount Everest.

Nowadays, the term is often used by outsiders to refer to almost any guide or climbing supporter hired for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas, regardless of the ethnicity of their hiree. Because of this usage, the term has become a slang word for a Himalaya or Mount Everest guide or mentor. True Sherpas are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at very high altitudes. It is speculated that part of the Sherpas' climbing abilities is a result of their genetic adaptation to living in high altitudes. Some of their climbing and mountaineering adaptations include unique hemoglobin-binding capacity and doubled nitric oxide production.