Etymograph

English

agony

Agony comes from Ancient Greek ἀγωνία ‘emulation, competition, struggle’, from ἀγών ‘contest’, 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. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγωνία3agōnía‘emulation, competition, struggle’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1611agony3

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 agony
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And being in an agonie, he prayed more earneſtly,[…].”.

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 agonyagṓn‘contest’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀγωνίαWiktionary, English agonyagōnía‘emulation, competition, struggle’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1611agonyWiktionary, English agony. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And being in an agonie, he prayed more earneſtly,[…].”

The story

Specifically of the struggle that precedes death (mortal agony) from the 1540s.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

suggest, register, reaction, actively, essay, transaction, acre, gesture, radioactive, digest, inactive, congestion, belligerent, agrarian, retroactive, unambiguous, hyperactivity, progesterone, ingest, gestation, reagent, agitate, ambiguously, samaj, gerund, agger, gestion, 129 more

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

act, action, active, activity, actual, actor, agency, agent, agenda, activate, ambiguous, squat, ambiguity, assay, agile, agility, radium, agitation, actuator, cogent, axiomatic, actuation, inexact, exigent, actuate, 111 more

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

strategy, axiom, stratagem, glucagon, 23 more

through Ancient Greek ἀγών ‘contest’

antagonist, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, agonize, 8 more

Today it means

noun Extreme pain or anguish.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “agony”; 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- / agony

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