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δημαγωγός

Etymology and origin of the Ancient Greek word δημαγωγός

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
5th century BC, Thucydides
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (δῆμος,ἀγωγός)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek δημαγωγός
English demagogue

Pronunciation

  • IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /dɛː.ma.ɡɔː.ɡós/[1]
  • IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ði.ma.ɣoˈɣos/[1]
  • IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ði.ma.ɣoˈɣos/[1]

Forms

δημᾰγωγός (dēmagōgós) m (genitive δημᾰγωγοῦ); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) and ἀγωγός (agōgós, “leading, leader”), from ἄγω (ágō, “to lead”): “leader of the people”.[1][2] Hesychius explains it from “leading and managing the people”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Thucydides uses it for a leader of the popular party, as Cleon, and Isocrates for Pericles.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

At first it was not necessarily a term of abuse: Lysias speaks of good popular leaders, and Hyperides of the just dēmagōgos.[4][5] More often it had a bad sense, a leader of the mob: Andocides contrasts “the words of a popular leader and the deeds of a tyrant”, and Xenophon speaks of oppressive demagogues.[4][5] Aristotle calls the demagogue the flatterer of the people, says that demagogues arise where the laws are not sovereign, and notes how Peisistratus, a demagogue and general, became tyrant.[4][5] Polybius pairs it with ὀχλοκόπος, “mob-courter”.[4][2]

Medieval Greek used it for the leader of an army.[6] French démagogue was borrowed from it.[1] Modern Greek δημαγωγός (dimagogós) is a politician who misleads the people with false promises and flattery.[7]

Timeline

  • 5th century BC – Thucydides calls Cleon a popular leader.[4][5]
  • 5th–4th century BC – Lysias speaks of good popular leaders.[4]
  • 4th century BC – Aristotle defines the demagogue as the flatterer of the people.[4][5]
  • 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for a rabble-rouser.[4][2]
  • 16th–17th century – Vernacular Greek uses it for the leader of an army.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A leader of the people, a popular leader.[2][4]
  2. (pejorative) A leader of the mob, a demagogue, one who courts popular favour.[4][2]

Word family

  • δημαγωγία (dēmagōgíā)
  • δημαγωγικός (dēmagōgikós)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  3. ^ Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
  6. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
  7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Δημαγωγός.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/grc/%CE%B4%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%B3%CF%89%CE%B3%CF%8C%CF%82. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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