On Leaders

.
'Agog' is a leader in Latin.

Can you add this word to the other latin words below, and guess the newly-formed english words???

- Ped (child)
- Demo (people)
- syn, sym ( together, same time).

As we saw earlier, most english words are derivatives from Greek or Latin words, and sometimes even French and other European languages. English is a language that evolved much later than some other European ones, and it readily adapted into itself several foreign words. Therfore, we must look at these foreign root-words, if we wish to become amateur etymologists.

Now if you have done the small exercise I gave, by now, you would have made up the following words : Pedagogue, Demogogue and Synagogue.


Pedagogue

Ped is a child and Agog is a leader. So, a Pedagogue is a teacher of children. The word Ped (Child) has given us other words in english like ,

• Pediatrics - the branch of medicine concered with children
• Pediatrician - a doctor for children,
• Pedagogy - teaching methodology
• Pedantic - overly concerned with details in teaching.
• Pedophile - (negative) an adult sexually attracted to children

I know, I know, some of you will accuse me of being very pedantic in my approach towards this blog. But I can't help it, I am a pedagogue! :D

Demagogue

Demo is people, and Agog is a leader. So, a Demogogue is a leader of people. But this word is not used in a positive sense. A demagogue is usually a leader who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people. Hitler, for instance, was a demagogue known for his oratorial skills in arousing peoples passions.

Related to demo (people) are the following words in english,

• Democracy - people's rule
• Demography - information (or statistics) on people
  (such as population, density, gender or income distribution, birth-rates, death rates etc.)
• Epidemic - disease affecting many people and spreading.
• Pandemic - general, universal, or actually an epidemic disease affecting all people. (common people/public)

Acceptable usage could be sentences like "In the late 1980s there was a pandemic fear of atomic war." Or that "the outbreak of the epidemic caused hundreds to die."

Synagogue

"syn, sym = together, same time". So, the coming together of leaders in one place was originally called synagogue. Now, it is a Jewish place of worship where the religious leaders teach.

'Syn' and 'sym' have given English many such words like the following.

• symmetry - alike in size and form; balance; proportion,
• symphony - (same sounds) Harmony of sounds.
• synchronicity - the being of events/actions at the same time;
  (Eg : Synchronized swimming by two female swimmers was beautiful to watch in Olympics because of the symmetry displayed.)
• synchronize - to make two into the same.
• synonym - (same names), exact meanings. Eg : Aircraft is a synonym for aeroplane.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Who is the Top Gun?

On Leaders, the other words that are mostly informal or slang are : head honcho, big wig, big wheel, skipper, kingpin, big gun, top gun, top dog, big kahuna, big cheese.

But these are not meant for formal use, and must be avoided. Unless, you know the person very well... and wish to use it in good humour.

---------------------------------------------------------------------