guru

plural gurus · alternative goru · alternative gooroo · alternative obsolete gourou · alternative archaic guroo

1. In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.First known use 17th c.

   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

   4 more examples

   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

   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

2. IndiaAny general teacher (as a term of respect).
3. humoroussometimesAn influential advisor or mentor.First known use 20th c.

   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

4. derogatoryA fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

   1 more example

   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

present singular third person gurus · participle present guruing · participle past gurued · past gurued · alternative goru · alternative gooroo · alternative obsolete gourou · alternative archaic guroo

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