Etymograph

English

agonism

Agonism comes from Latin agōn ‘a contest’, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́γω ‘to lead’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-1‘to drive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti1‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ágō1‘to lead, to guide’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓́γω2ắgō‘to lead’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγών3agṓn‘contest’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōn3‘a contest’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2007agonism3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄγω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀγών, which cites Beekes
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English agonism
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Diego A. Von Vacano, The Art of Power: Machiavelli: “The internal competition between tendencies or natures that Machiavelli…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄγω‘to drive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵetiWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄγω‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ágōWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄγω‘to lead, to guide’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓́γωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀγών, which cites Beekesắgō‘to lead’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγώνWiktionary, English agonismagṓn‘contest’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōnWiktionary, English agonism‘a contest’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2007agonismWiktionary, English agonism. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Diego A. Von Vacano, The Art of Power: Machiavelli: “The internal competition between tendencies or natures that Machiavelli…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’

suggest, reaction, register, actively, essay, transaction, acre, gesture, radioactive, digest, inactive, congestion, belligerent, agrarian, retroactive, unambiguous, hyperactivity, progesterone, ingest, gestation, reagent, agitate, ambiguously, samaj, agger, gerund, gestion, 131 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

act, action, active, activity, actual, agency, actor, agent, agenda, activate, ambiguous, squat, ambiguity, assay, agile, agility, agitation, radium, actuator, cogent, axiomatic, actuation, inexact, exigent, actuate, 113 more

through Proto-Hellenic *ágō ‘to lead, to guide’

strategy, axiom, stratagem, glucagon, 25 more

through Ancient Greek ἀγών ‘contest’

agony, antagonist, antagonize, 10 more

Today it means

noun Competitive struggle (especially political).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “agonism”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek ἄγω, Ancient Greek ἀγών. 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 *h₂eǵ- / agonism

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