1. A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace. 2. A leader of the common people in ancient times.
TRANSITIVE VERB:
Inflected forms: dem·a·gogued also dem·a·goged, dem·a·gogu·ing, dem·a·go·ging, dem·a·gogues, dem·a·goges Usage Problem To speak about (an issue, for example) in the manner of a demagogue.
ETYMOLOGY:
Greek dmaggos, popular leader : dmos, people; see d- in Appendix I + aggos, leading (from agein, to lead; see ag- in Appendix I).
USAGE NOTE:
Among the nouns that the Usage Panel is loath to see used as a verb is demagogue, meaning “to speak about something in the manner of a demagogue.” Ninety-four percent reject it in the sentence The President will demagogue Medicare, unwilling to acknowledge that fundamental reforms need to be made. Resistance to the use of traditional nouns as verbs is sometimes strong, especially when the novel usages are associated with business or bureaucratic jargon.
d
m
-gôg
, -g
g
mag
gos, popular leader : d
- in Appendix I + ag
