One entry found for pedagogue.

Main Entry: ped·a·gogue
Pronunciation: ped--gäg
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English pedagoge "teacher," from early French pedagoge (same meaning), from Latin paedagogus (same meaning), from Greek paidaggos "a servant who escorted children to school," from paid- "child" and aggos "leader"
: TEACHER, SCHOOLMASTER
Word History In ancient Greece a rich family had many servants. One of the servants was in charge of caring for the children. This servant's duties included escorting the children to and from school. As a name for this servant, the Greek prefix paid-, meaning "child," and the noun aggos, meaning "leader," were combined to form paidaggos. This word might be translated literally as "child-leader." The English word pedagogue can be traced to the Greek paidaggos. It is now a name for a person who leads children by teaching them, rather than just by escorting them.

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