a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher
"The elderly guru led his followers through a meditation ceremony under the ancient banyan tree."
each of the first ten leaders of the Sikh religion
"The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established the Khalsa Panth in 1699."
A Hindu or Sikh spiritual teacher.
"The pilgrims traveled to Rishikesh to seek guidance from their guru at the ashram."
In plain English: A guru is an expert teacher who gives wise advice on how to live life better.
"The tech guru gave an insightful talk about artificial intelligence at the conference."
The English word guru comes from Hindi and Sanskrit, where it originally meant "heavy" before evolving to mean a revered teacher or spiritual leader. Although some traditional sources claim it means "destroyer of darkness," this is considered an incorrect folk etymology based on splitting the syllables rather than reflecting its actual historical origin.