Guru

[goo r-oo, goo-roo] /ˈgʊər u, gʊˈru/

noun
1.
Hinduism. a preceptor giving personal religious instruction.
2.
an intellectual or spiritual guide or leader.
3.
any person who counsels or advises; mentor:
The elder senator was her political guru.
4.
a leader in a particular field:
the city’s cultural gurus.
[nah-nuh k] /ˈnɑ nək/
noun
1.
(“Guru”) 1469–1539, Indian religious leader: founder of Sikhism.
/ˈɡʊruː; ˈɡuːruː/
noun
1.
a Hindu or Sikh religious teacher or leader, giving personal spiritual guidance to his disciples
2.
(often derogatory) a leader or chief theoretician of a movement, esp a spiritual or religious cult
3.
(often facetious) a leading authority in a particular field: a cricketing guru
/ˈnaːˌnʌk/
noun
1.
See Guru Nanak
n.

1800, gooroo, from Hindi guru “teacher, priest,” from Sanskrit guru-s “one to be honored, teacher,” literally “heavy, weighty,” from PIE root *gru- (see grave (adj.)). Generalized sense of “mentor” is from 1940; sense of “expert in something” first recorded c.1966 in Canadian English in reference to Marshall McLuhan.
guru [(goor-ooh, goo-rooh)]

In Hinduism, a teacher or spiritual leader.

Note: By extension, a “guru” is a teacher who attracts disciples or followers.

noun

[fr Sanskrit, ”venerable”]

job
An expert, especially in “Unix guru”. Implies not only wizard skill but also a history of being a knowledge resource for others. Less often, used (with a qualifier) for other experts on other systems, as in “VMS guru”.
See source of all good bits.
[Jargon File]
(1996-06-01)