agony
/ˈæɡ.ə.ni/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.60 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (often capitalized).
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
Etymology
14th century, via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek ἀγωνία (agōnía, “emulation, competition, struggle”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”). Specifically of the struggle that precedes death (mortal agony) from the 1540s. By surface analysis, agon + -y. The sense of "extreme pain" from c. 1600.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₂eǵ-, -, ἀγωνία
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/
- British English: /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/