I don’t consider myself a guru — or a “guro,” for that matter
June 3rd, 2008 at 06:41am Barry Wood
A reader pointed out that our blog links page bills me as a word “guro.” That’s a typo. According to Webster’s unabridged, the Guro (or Guros, both usually capitalized) are “a people of the interior of the Ivory Coast now known chiefly for their wood carvings (as dancing masks).” They’re also called the Kweni (or Kwenis).
I, on the other hand, am from east-central Indiana. And even though my last name is Wood, I can’t carve a lick. The intended word is “guru,” which is a Hindi term from the Sanskrit “guruh,” meaning venerable or, originally, heavy. (OK, I am heavy.)
In Hinduism, a guru is a “personal spiritual adviser or teacher.” In general, it can mean “any leader highly regarded by a group of followers,” and is “sometimes used derisively.” Maybe that’s what’s going on.
I have never thought of myself as a guru. I’m just a guy who’s willing to look things up.
Entry Filed under: word origins
7 Comments Add your own
1. Anna Voelker | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:41 am
That typo has been fixed. Thanks for the heads up.
2. Robert Satan | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 am
We don’t take kindly to Hoosiers around here.
3. Lawrence Gregory Clarkson | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Oh, you are too a Guru. And, though you deny it, I think you might be a Guro. One thing I am sure you are not: A competitor for Kimbo Slice. That honor belongs to Mike DeDoncker.
4. Leonardo duh Vinci | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Evidently, a guro happens occasionally. How much difference is there between a copy editor and a proof reader? Also, is there a subscription publication in which a guro is almost never found? The NEW YORKER?
5. Barry Wood | June 4th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Does it help that I’m a graduate of Ball State and not the University of Indiana?
6. Barry Wood | June 4th, 2008 at 1:25 am
In my experience, a major difference is that copy editors write headlines. Proofreading (reading and marking needed corrections on actual page proofs) is one of the tasks we perform. I don’t know if any newspapers still have people who just read proofs, which is too bad. One more set of eyes on anything headed for publication is always welcome.
I also doubt that there are any newspapers, magazines or books that are error-free, unless there are no human beings involved in producing them.
7. Barry Wood | June 4th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Since I had to ask a colleague more in tune with pop culture who Kimbo Slice is, I’m sure you are on target that we are not in the same league. By my senior year in high school, I was pretty much finished with organized competitive sports. They were too much work.
We do what we can do.
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