Take the 2-minute tour ×  Is it appropriate to use the term
"guru" to refer to an expert in matters of Judaism or Jewish law
on the assumption that it will be understood as the second
definition here, or is it inappropriate no matter what because
of the vestigial influence of the first (Hindu) definition?
share|improve this question Be careful not to accept an answer
with 40 votes. Then the answerer gets a Guru Badge! –  Double AA
Dec 14 '11 at 23:32  2 Answers 2  To judge by Wikipedia, it
looks like the basic meaning of it is "teacher" or something
similar - the Hindu use of it is a specification of that general
meaning. So I can't imagine that it would be any different, say,
than our using "priest" as a translation of kohen.
share|improve this answer  I don't think it's a problem. By this
point the word has been integrated into the English vernacular
as a synonym for "expert," and does not have any religious
connotations.  For example, a quick search of the New York Times
results in phrases such as "golf