English
agon
Agon comes from Latin agōn ‘a contest’, from Ancient Greek ἀγείρω ‘to collect, gather’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ger-1‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*agéřřō1‘to collect, to gather’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγείρω1ageírō‘to collect, gather’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀγών1agṓn‘contest’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōn1‘a contest’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981agon1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English agon
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology: “It was not ecological pressure or shortages of protein,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ger-Wiktionary, English agon‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*agéřřōWiktionary, English agon‘to collect, to gather’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγείρωWiktionary, English agonageírō‘to collect, gather’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀγώνWiktionary, English agonagṓn‘contest’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōnWiktionary, English agon‘a contest’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981agonWiktionary, English agon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology: “It was not ecological pressure or shortages of protein,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- ‘to gather’
aggregate, congregate, gregarious, gaff, gaon, agora, panegyric, 9 more
through Ancient Greek ἀγών ‘contest’
Today it means
noun A struggle or contest; conflict; especially between the protagonist and antagonist in a literary work.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “agon”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- / agon