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.
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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.1817, William Ward, History, Literature and Religion of the Hindoos, volume II:
The Baiga magicians derive from the old guru who succeeded Nanga Baiga. There is very great confusion about the original guru, and how he was actually related to Nanga Baiga, but there is general agreement that there were originally four great Baiga guru—Daugun, Nindhan, Danantar and Madhakawar, all four brothers.1939, Verrier Elwin, “The Magician and His Control of the Natural World”, in The Baiga, London: John Murray, […], section II (The Magician’s Heritage), page 342:
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These guru, third, were responsible for insuring that the populace would not be tempted to support heterodox world renouncers and their counter-patrimonial ideas. In contrast to the pre-classical Brahmin scholars, who serviced only their own and certain ruler and elite religion-social interests, the guru were the patronal guides of the masses, offering prebendal control of the deities through charismatic but morally expounded magic and psychological compensation as personal confessors, in return for popular willingness to conform to the dharmic rules, as interpreted by guru to be sure.1989, Norman Jacobs, “The Classical Indian Society”, in Patrimonial Interpretation of Indian Society: Contemporary Structure and Historical Foundations, Delhi: Chanakya Publications, →ISBN, page 66:
Many of the deities and beliefs recorded by the guru are in fact unknown to the common people, and some represent the esoteric knowledge of only a few guru.1994, Simon Rae, “Kiniteken Si Pemena: The Original Belief”, in Breath Becomes the Wind: Old and New in Karo Religion, Dunedin: University of Otago Press, →ISBN, part I (The Karo World), page 19:
Traditionally, a guru is a spiritual teacher who guides a student on the road to Enlightenment, or finding God.2010 May 10, “Madonna is my guru”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Sep 2022:
Humorous, Sometimes An influential advisor or mentor.
Many oenophiles rely on the ratings and recommendations of wine guru Robert Parker when selecting the perfect bottle.2004 October 18, “Vintage technology”, in Time:
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Derogatory 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 failure to properly understand and apply the guru's special knowledge.2012, John D. Rooke (Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta), “Meads v. Meads, 2012 ABQB 571”, in CanLII:
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.