agony

agony
agony (n.) late 14c., "mental suffering" (especially that of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane), from O.Fr. agonie, agoine "anguish, terror, death agony" (14c.), and directly from L.L. agonia, from Gk. agonia "a (mental) struggle for victory," originally "a struggle for victory in the games," from agon "assembly for a contest," from agein "to lead" (see ACT (Cf. act) (n.)). Sense of "extreme bodily suffering" first recorded c.1600.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Agony — may refer to: Concepts * Pain, anguish, or struggle, especially the struggle that precedes death, from the Greek word agonia (Webster s dictionary) *Passion (Christianity), also called the Agony of Christ *Agony aunt, an advice columnist *Spice… …   Wikipedia

  • Agony — Éditeur Psygnosis Développeur Art Magic Date de sortie 1992 Genre Shoot them up Mode de jeu Un joueur Plate forme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Agony — Ag o*ny, n.; pl. {Agonies}. [L. agonia, Gr. ?, orig. a contest, fr. ?: cf. F. agonie. See {Agon}.] 1. Violent contest or striving. [1913 Webster] The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] 2. Pain so extreme… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • agony — [ag′ə nē] n. pl. agonies [ME agonie < L agonia < Gr agōnia, a contest for victory < agōn, AGON] 1. very great mental or physical pain 2. death pangs 3. a convulsive struggle 4. a sudden, strong outburst (of emotion) [an agony of …   English World dictionary

  • agony — index distress (anguish), pain, plaint, stress (strain) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • agony — suffering, passion, *distress, misery, dolor Analogous words: pang, throe, ache, *pain, twinge: *trial, tribulation, affliction, visitation Contrasted words: *rest, repose, ease, comfort: solace, consolation (see corresponding verbs at COMFORT):… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • agony — [n] suffering, pain affliction, anguish, distress, dolor, misery, pangs, passion, throes, torment, torture, woe; concepts 410,728 Ant. comfort, happiness, health, peace, success …   New thesaurus

  • agony — ► NOUN (pl. agonies) ▪ extreme suffering. ORIGIN Greek ag nia, from ag n contest …   English terms dictionary

  • agony — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ excruciating, extreme, intense ▪ absolute, pure, sheer, utter ▪ exquisite ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • agony */ — UK [ˈæɡənɪ] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms agony : singular agony plural agonies 1) great pain in agony: William fell to the ground, writhing in agony. 2) a strong and unpleasant feeling, especially great worry or sadness agony of:… …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”