A swami (Sanskrit: स्वामी svāmī [sʋaːmiː]) sometimes abbreviated “sw.” is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by some religious teacher.[1] It is believed to be originally used for the ones who were initiated into to the Advaita Vedanta movement started by Adi Shankara.[2][not in citation given] The usage of this word is not just for a yogi but also used for a religious guru, with or without disciples.
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as