guru

guru

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of guru in English

English Online Dictionary. What means guru‎? What does guru mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • goru [17th–19th c.]
  • gooroo [19th c.]
  • guroo (archaic)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɡʊɹuː/, /ˈɡuːɹuː/, /ɡʊˈɹuː/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈɡʊɹ(ˌ)u/, /ˈɡu(ˌ)ɹu/, /ɡəˈɹu/
  • Rhymes: -ʊɹuː, -uːɹuː, -uː

Noun

guru (plural gurus or guru)

  1. In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya. [from 17th c.]
  2. (India) Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
  3. (sometimes humorous) An influential advisor or mentor. [from 20th c.]
  4. (derogatory) A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

guru (third-person singular simple present gurus, present participle guruing, simple past and past participle gurued)

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

References

Blagar

Noun

guru

  1. teacher

References

  • Antoinette Schapper, The Papuan Languages of Timor, Alor and Pantar: Volume 1 (2014), p. 165

Catalan

Etymology

From Hindi गुरु (guru) / Urdu گرو (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈɡu.ɾu]

Noun

guru m (plural gurus)

  1. guru (spiritual teacher)

Further reading

  • “guru” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Czech

Noun

guru m anim

  1. guru (spiritual teacher)
  2. guru (leader or expert in a field)

Declension

Also indeclinable.

Finnish

Etymology

Ultimately from Sanskrit गुरु (guru).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡuru/, [ˈɡuru]
  • Rhymes: -uru
  • Syllabification(key): gu‧ru

Noun

guru

  1. A guru

Declension

Further reading

  • “guru”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡu.ʁu/

Noun

guru m (plural gurus)

  1. Alternative spelling of gourou

Hausa

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡúː.rúː/
    • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA(key): [ɡʷúː.rúː]

Noun

gūr̃ū m (plural gūr̃ā̀yē, possessed form gūr̃un)

  1. A large leather belt, usually containing charms.

Hungarian

Etymology

From Hindi गुरु (guru), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “heavy”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈɡuru]
  • Hyphenation: gu‧ru
  • Rhymes: -ru

Noun

guru (plural guruk)

  1. guru (a Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher)
  2. guru (leader or expert in a field)
    Synonyms: tanító, mester, tanítómester

Declension

References

Indonesian

Alternative forms

  • goeroe (pre-1947)

Etymology

From Malay guru, ultimately Sanskrit गुरु (gurú, “guru, teacher, sage”), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *gr̥Húṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gr̥Húš, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥h₂ús (“heavy”). Doublet of brutal and bruto.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡuru/, [ˈɡu.ru]
  • Hyphenation: gu‧ru

Noun

guru (plural guru-guru, para guru, first-person possessive guruku, second-person possessive gurumu, third-person possessive gurunya)

  1. teacher

Derived terms

Compounds

Further reading

  • “guru” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

From Hindi गुरू (gurū, “teacher”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡu.ru/
  • Rhymes: -uru
  • Hyphenation: gù‧ru

Noun

guru m (invariable)

  1. a guru (religious or spiritual leader; influential person)

Anagrams

  • Urgu

Javanese

Romanization

guru

  1. Romanization of ꦒꦸꦫꦸ

Latin

Noun

gū̆rū

  1. ablative singular of gū̆rus

Lindu

Noun

guru

  1. teacher

Maguindanao

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay guru, from Sanskrit गुरु (gurú).

Noun

guru

  1. teacher; instructor

Malay

Etymology

From Sanskrit गुरु (gurú, “teacher, sage”) via Old Javanese, from Proto-Indo-Aryan *gr̥Húṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gr̥Húš, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥h₂ús (“heavy”).

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -u

Noun

guru (Jawi spelling ݢورو, plural guru-guru, informal 1st possessive guruku, 2nd possessive gurumu, 3rd possessive gurunya)

  1. educator, teacher, instructor

Derived terms

Compounds

Descendants

  • Indonesian: guru
  • → Tagalog: gulo, guro

References

  • Edi Sedyawati, Ellya Iswati, Kusparyati Boedhijono, Dyah Widjajanti D. (1994) Kosakata Bahasa Sanskerta dalam Bahasa Melayu Masa Kini, Jakarta, Indonesia: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, →ISBN, page 76
  • Pijnappel, Jan (1875) “ݢورو goeroe”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 108
  • Wilkinson, Richard James (1901) “ݢورو guru”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 581
  • Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “guru”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume I, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 383

Further reading

  • “guru” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mapudungun

Alternative forms

  • gvrv

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ŋʊʐʊ/

Noun

guru (Raguileo spelling)

  1. A fox

Old Javanese

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit गुरु (guru).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡu.ru/
  • Rhymes: -ru
  • Hyphenation: gu‧ru

Noun

guru

  1. teacher
  2. long syllable

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Javanese: ꦒꦸꦫꦸ (guru)
  • → Balinese: ᬕᬸᬭᬸ (guru)

Further reading

  • "guru" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Pali

Alternative forms

Etymology

Cognate with Sanskrit गुरु (guru). It is an assimilatory modification of garu.

Adjective

guru

  1. heavy
  2. venerable

Declension

Noun

guru m

  1. teacher (clarification of this definition is needed)

Declension

References

Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “guru”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुरू (gurū) / Urdu گرو (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (gurú), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *gr̥Húṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gr̥Húš, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥h₂ús (“heavy”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡu.ru/
  • Rhymes: -uru
  • Syllabification: gu‧ru

Noun

guru m pers (indeclinable)

  1. (Hinduism) guru (spiritual teacher)
  2. guru (advisor or mentor)

Further reading

  • guru in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • guru in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Sanskrit गुरु (gurú, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy", from Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us. Doublet of bruto.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -u
  • Hyphenation: gu‧ru

Noun

guru m (plural gurus)

  1. guru (spiritual teacher)

Noun

guru m or f by sense (plural gurus)

  1. guru (advisor, mentor)

Related terms

  • baro-
  • grave

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English guru or French gourou.

Noun

guru m (plural guru)

  1. guru

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

gȕru m (Cyrillic spelling гу̏ру)

  1. guru

Declension

Slovak

Etymology

Derived from Hindi गुरू (gurū) / Urdu گرو (guru), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡu.ru/

Noun

guru m anim (genitive singular gurua, nominative plural guruovia, genitive plural guruov, declension pattern of chlap)

  1. guru

Declension

References

  • “guru”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुड़ (guṛ, “jaggery”).

Pronunciation

Noun

guru

  1. Only used in sukari guru (“jaggery”)

Swedish

Etymology

From Hindi गुरू (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “heavy”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡʉ̟ːrɵ/
  • Rhymes: -ʉːrɵ

Noun

guru c

  1. guru

Declension

References

  • guru in Svensk ordbok (SO)

Toba Batak

Noun

guru

  1. teacher

Derived terms

  • marguru
  • parguru

References

  • J. Warneck (1906) Tobabataksch-Deutsches Wörterbuch‎[5], Batavia: Landsdrukkerij, page 80

Yakan

Noun

guru

  1. teacher (of spiritual matters or martial arts)

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.