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guru

noun
/ˈɡʊɹuː/UK/ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/US

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology based on the Advayataraka Upanishad (line 16) describes the syllables gu as “darkness” and ru as “destroyer”, thus ascribing the meaning of “one who destroys/dispels darkness” to the word.

  1. derived from गुरु
  2. borrowed from ਗੁਰੂ
  3. borrowed from गुरु

Definitions

  1. In Indian traditions

    In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.

    • When the gooroo arrives at the house of a disciple, the whole family prostrate themselves at his feet, and the spiritual guide puts his right foot on the heads of the prostrate family.

  2. Any general teacher (as a term of respect).

  3. An influential advisor or mentor.

    • Many oenophiles rely on the ratings and recommendations of wine guru Robert Parker when selecting the perfect bottle.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

    2. To act as a guru

      To act as a guru; to give wise advice

The neighborhood

Derived

antiguru, gurudom, guruhood, guruism, guruji, gurulike, guruship, tech guru

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for guru. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA