What is a single word meaning "authoritative source of knowledge"?
I'm looking for a word that means authoritative source of knowledge.
The word would preferably be a noun and could refer to a group of people or a collection of knowledge. Additionally it'd be strongly preferred if the word would not be a derivative of encyclopedia.
Solution 1:
You could simply call it an authority, and that could stand for a human guru or a tome.
Solution 2:
My choice would be cornbread ninja's, but s/he beat me to it. Authority:
5. an accepted source of information, advice, etc.
7. an expert on a subject: He is an authority on baseball.
I like the word pundit, not least because it's a coveted Stack Exchange badge. Other words for learned and authoritative people could be guru, savant, or sage.
There's also cognoscenti:
plural noun, singular -te
persons who have superior knowledge and understanding of a particular field, especially in the fine arts, literature, and world of fashion.
Solution 3:
The canon is the collective term for those authorities which are indisputable (originally a religious term, but now general). So a book may be canonical. I don't think either should be applied to people, though, to avoid confusion.