Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “guru” come from?

Guru comes from Hindi गुरू, meaning a teacher or spiritual master.

guru (English): A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher; An influential...

Definitions

  1. A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher; An influential...

Ancestry of “guru”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiगुरुheavy; guru, teacher, sage; Jupiter
2Urduگروguru; sage; teacher
3Punjabiਗੁਰੂenlightener; guru, sage, teacher
4Sanskritगुरुheavy, weighty; heavy in the stomach , difficult...
5Proto-Indo-Aryangr̥Húṣ—
6Proto-Indo-Iraniangr̥Húšheavy
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷréh₂usheavy
8Proto-Indo-European-usForms adjectives from Caland system roots

Words derived from “guru”

  • guruji
  • guruship
  • gurudom
  • gurulike
  • guruhood
  • antiguru
  • gurus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -us →