Etymology

demagogue

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Today it means: A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument. Full definition →

Middle French démagogue ← Ancient Greek δημαγωγός
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromδημαγωγός“popular leader, mob leader”
  2. Middle French · derived fromdémagogue
  3. English todaydemagogue

From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.