Thero (Pali; also appearing in stem-form as thera, feminine theri) is an honorific term for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order.The Pali term means "elder". These terms, which are used at the end of a monastic's monastic name, are useful to distinguish those who have at least 10 years since their upasampada (higher ordination). The name of an important collection of very early poetry is called the Therigatha "verses of the theris".