Guru

/ˈɡuru/ noun

Definition

a teacher or expert, especially in spiritual matters

Etymology

from Sanskrit 'guru' meaning 'heavy, weighty, teacher'

Kelly Says

A guru is like a wise owl - full of knowledge to share!

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ጉሩ
ARالعربية
غورو
BNবাংলা
গুরু
CACatalà
gurú
CSČeština
guru
DADansk
guru
DEDeutsch
Guru
ELΕλληνικά
γουρού
ESEspañol
gurú
FAفارسی
گورو
FISuomi
guru
FRFrançais
gourou
GUGU
ગુરુ
HAHA
malami
HEעברית
גורו
HIहिन्दी
गुरु
HUMagyar
guru
IDBahasa Indonesia
guru
IGIG
nkuzi
ITItaliano
guru
JA日本語
グル
KKKK
гуру
KMKM
គុරូ
KO한국어
구루
MRMR
गुरू
MSBahasa Melayu
guru
MYမြန်မာ
ဆရာ
NLNederlands
goeroes
NONorsk
guru
PAPA
ਗੁਰੂ
PLPolski
guru
PTPortuguês
guru
RORomână
guru
RUРусский
гуру
SVSvenska
guru
SWKiswahili
guru
TAதமிழ்
குரு
TEతెలుగు
గురువు
THไทย
อาจารย์
TLTL
guru
TRTürkçe
guru
UKУкраїнська
гуру
URاردو
گرو
VITiếng Việt
thầy tế
YOYO
oluyanju
ZH中文
古鲁
ZUZU
uthisha

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

While originally gender-neutral in Sanskrit tradition (guru = teacher), Western appropriation has gendered the role as masculine, often used to describe male thought leaders while women occupy subordinate teaching roles.

Inclusive Usage

Use inclusive language like 'expert,' 'mentor,' 'leader' that does not carry masculine default assumptions.

Inclusive Alternatives

["expert","mentor","teacher","leader"]

Empowerment Note

Women spiritual teachers and knowledge leaders in both Eastern and Western traditions have been systematically marginalized in favor of male 'gurus.'

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