-agogue

The combining form -agogue is used like a suffix meaning “leader” or “bringer.” In medical terms, it is used to name substances that cause the flow or the release of a substance. It is occasionally used in scientific and technical terms.

The form -agogue comes from Greek -agōgos, meaning “leading.” The Latin cognate of this form is agēns, “doing” or “driving,” which is the source of words such as agent and agency. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

What are variants of –agogue?

A less-common variant of -agogue is -agog, as in hydragog. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -agog.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -agogue is demagogue, “a person, especially a political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.” Demagogue comes from Greek dēmagōgós, which uses the equivalent form of -agogue.

The dem- part of the word means “people,” from Greek dêmos, while –agogue means “leader.” Demagogue literally translates to “leader (of the) people.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form -agogue in Greek?

• hydragogue
• mystagogue
• pedagogue
• sialagogue

What are some other forms that -agogue may be commonly confused with?

• -age
• -algia

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -agogue, such as synagogue, is necessarily using the combining form -agogue to denote “leader.” Learn why synagogue means “temple” at our entry for the word.

The combining form galact- means “milk.” With this in mind, what does the term galactagogue literally mean?