late 14c., "guardian, custodian," from Old French tuteor "guardian, private teacher" (13c., Modern French tuteur), from Latin tutorem (nominative tutor) "guardian, watcher," from tutus, variant past participle of tueri "watch over," of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE *teue- (1) "pay attention to" (see thews). Specific sense of "senior boy appointed to help a junior in his studies" is recorded from 1680s.

1590s, from tutor, n.. Related: Tutored; tutoring.