In the late 20th – the early 21st century, new names of professions that can be called the key words of the epoch entered the terminological vocabulary of the sphere of education. One of these lexemes is the borrowed word tutor, which is currently characterised by a high frequency of use in connection with the active introduction of the tutor profession into the educational system of Russia. This article examines the features of the semantics of the word tutor based on lexicographic sources, the National Corpus of the Russian language, texts of scientific articles on pedagogic topics. During the study, it was found that in modern Russian the lexeme tutor is used to name a wide range of people in the Russian educational system. At the same time, there is no description of the above-mentioned word in lexicographic sources with the definition of its meaning at different stages and forms of the educational system, in connection with which there is a vague understanding of its content. The paper defines the meanings of this name of a person, taking into account the peculiarities of its functioning in different speech spheres. The conclusion is made about the transformation of the semantics of the word tutor, which is associated with the introduction, and later with the expansion of tutor activity in the system of education and upbringing in Russia. As a result of the analysis of examples of the combination of the noun tutor, the spheres of its functioning are determined.