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guru

Pronunciation: /ˈɡʊɹuː/

The English word “guru” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
  2. Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
  3. An influential advisor or mentor.
  4. A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

verb

  1. To act as a guru; to give wise advice

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…

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