guru

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɡʊɹuː/, /ˈɡuːɹuː/ (UK); /ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Hindi गुरु (gurū, “teacher, priest”),^[2][3][4][5] from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable; heavy”),^{[2][3][4][6][5]} literally “heavy, weighty”.^[4][6] Merriam-Webster relates it to grieve.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Hindu spiritual teacher (1613).^[7][6] Barnhart dates it to 1800 and Etymonline to 1806, spelled gooroo.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The general sense of an influential teacher or mentor appeared in 1940, in H. G. Wells.^[3][4] The sense of an expert was first used in Canadian English about 1966, of Marshall McLuhan.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1613 – a Hindu religious teacher.^[7][6]
• 1800 – gooroo.^[3]
• 1876 – the spelling guru.^[3]
• 1940 – any influential mentor.^[3][4]
• about 1966 – an expert, in Canadian English.^[3][4]
• 1966 – guru jacket.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (Hinduism) A personal spiritual teacher.
2. A teacher and guide in spiritual or intellectual matters; a mentor.
3. A recognized leader or expert in a field.

Word family

• guruship

Related words

• gurdwara
• grieve
• pundit

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press