mahaguru

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit महागुरु (mahāguru, “supreme guru”), reanalyzed as maha- (“supreme”) +‎ guru (“teacher”). Semantic loan from Dutch hoogleraar (“professor”, literally “high teacher”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /mahaˈɡuru/ [ma.haˈɡu.ru]
• Rhymes: -uru
• Syllabification: ma‧ha‧gu‧ru

Noun

mahaguru (first-person possessive mahaguruku, second-person possessive mahagurumu, third-person possessive mahagurunya)

1. professor

   Synonyms: guru besar, profesor

See also

• mahasiswa (“college student”)

Further reading

• “mahaguru” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

From maha- (“supreme”) +‎ guru (“teacher”), from Sanskrit महागुरु (mahāguru).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ha.ɡu.ru/
• Rhymes: -uru, -ru, -u

Noun

mahaguru (Jawi spelling مهاݢورو, plural mahaguru-mahaguru, informal 1st possessive mahaguruku, 2nd possessive mahagurumu, 3rd possessive mahagurunya)

1. grandmaster; great teacher
2. (uncommon) professor

   Synonym: profesor

See also

• mahasiswa (“university student”)

Further reading

• “mahaguru” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• "mahaguru" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.