agency
[ ey-juhn-see ]
/ ˈeɪ dʒən si /
noun, plural a·gen·cies.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
department, firm, company, bureau, office, operation, force, organ, vehicle, medium, intercession, means, auspices, efficiency, work, influence, mechanism, mediation, instrument, activity
Nearby words
agelong, agemate, agen, agena, agenais, agency, agency for international development, agency shop, agenda, agender, agendum
Origin of agency
1650–60; < Medieval Latin agentia, equivalent to Latin ag- (root of agere to do, act, manage) + -entia -ency
Related formssub·a·gen·cy, noun, plural sub·a·gen·cies.un·der·a·gen·cy, noun, plural un·der·a·gen·cies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for agency
British Dictionary definitions for agency
agency
/ (ˈeɪdʒənsɪ) /
noun plural -cies
a business or other organization providing a specific servicean employment agency
the place where an agent conducts business
the business, duties, or functions of an agent
action, power, or operationthe agency of fate
intercession or mediation
one of the administrative organizations of a government
Word Origin for agency
C17: from Medieval Latin agentia, from Latin agere to do
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for agency
agency
1650s, "active operation," from Medieval Latin agentia, noun of state from Latin agentem (nominative agens) "effective, powerful," present participle of agere (see act (n.)). Meaning "establishment where business is done for another" first recorded 1861.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper