'pedagogue' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'paidagōgos', where 'pais' meant 'child' and 'agogos' meant 'leader' or 'guide'.

'pedagogue' changed from Greek 'paidagōgos' to Latin 'paedagogus', passed into Old French and Middle English as 'pedagogue', and eventually became the modern English word 'pedagogue'.

Initially, it referred to a 'leader or guide of children' (often a slave who escorted children to school); over time it evolved to mean 'teacher' and later acquired the secondary nuance of a 'pedantic or formal teacher'.