ochlagogue

/ˈɒkləɡɒɡ/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀχλαγωγός (okhlagōgós), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, “mob”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “leading, guiding”).

Why this word is great

OCHLAGOGUE — [Noun] A manipulator of mobs who wields power through inflammatory rhetoric, slander, and appeals to the basest instincts; an unscrupulous demagogue in extremis. From Ancient Greek ὀχλαγωγός (okhlagōgós), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, "mob") + ἀγωγός (agōgós, "leading, guiding"), it is the art of turning men into a weapon. Unlike a "demagogue" (who may merely sway opinion) or a "leader" (who may inspire with principle), the ochlagogue thrives on chaos, stoking fury until it becomes a blunt force. It is the raised fist at a lynching, the chanted lie that becomes truth through repetition, the way a single voice can twist a crowd into a single snarling beast—proof that civilization is always just one speech away from unraveling.

noun

A manipulator of a mob who holds sway by use of inflammatory rhetoric, casting opprobrium, and by appeal to the lowest common denominator generally; an extreme and wholly unscrupulous demagogue; one who practises ochlagogy.“Ochlagogue! What a name for an Irish horse! EVOK.”