Meaning
In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
Etymology
Origin: Sanskrit
Borrowed 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.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 20 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-08-21UDGHNOR
- 2026-08-10GALMORU
- 2026-07-08GILRTUY
- 2026-04-13GHUROTW
- 2026-04-04GAULBRY
- 2026-03-14RBFGLOU
- 2026-01-10RGOMINU
- 2025-12-13UTDRNGO
- 2025-09-25UGROPIN
- 2025-09-03GAUNTRON
- 2025-08-16RANGCIU
- 2025-03-20GUAROND
+8 earlier appearances in the archive.