guru
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guru
- /ˈɡʊɹuː/ UK
- /ˈɡuːɹuː/ UK
- /ɡʊˈɹuː/ UK
- /ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/ US
- /ˈɡu(ˌ)ɹu/ US
- /ɡəˈɹu/ US
Rhymes with -ʊɹuː, -uːɹuː, -uː
Where it comes from
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.
noun gurus · guru · goru · gooroo · gourou · guroo
- 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.
- Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
- An influential advisor or mentor. Many oenophiles rely on the ratings and recommendations of wine guru Robert Parker when selecting the perfect bottle.
- A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field. OPCA gurus are modern legal alchemists. They promise gold, but their methods are principally intended to impress the gullible, or those who wish to use this drivel to abuse the court system. Any lack of legal success by the OPCA litigant is, of course, portrayed as a consequence of the customer’s fa
verb gurus · guruing · gurued · goru · gooroo
- To act as a guru; to give wise advice
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mahatma, sage, bhakti, monk, friar, evangelist, pok, teacher, mentor, preceptor, master, expert, virtuoso, jad, whiz, walrus
Translations
Every language
noun spiritual teacher
| Español | gurú |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 지도자 jidoja, 구루 guru |
| 日本語 | グル guru, 教祖 kyōso |
| 中文 | 古魯 /古鲁 gǔlǔ, 上師 /上师 shàngshī, 導師 /导师 dǎoshī, 大師 /大师 dàshī |
| हिन्दी | गुरु guru |
| Português | guru |
| Français | guru, gourou |
| Deutsch | Guru |
| Italiano | guru |
| Ελληνικά | γκουρού gkouroú |
| Русский | гу́ру gúru, духо́вный учи́тель duxóvnyj učítelʹ |
| العربية | مُعَلِّم رُوحِيّ muʕallim rūḥiyy, جُورُو gūrū, غُورُو ḡūrū |
Talk about this word "guru." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/guru. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. guru. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/guru "guru." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/guru.Cite this
@misc{guru_2026,
title = {guru},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/guru},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
