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agon

[ag-ohn, -on, ah-gohn]
noun, plural a·go·nes [uh-goh-neez] /əˈgoʊ niz/.
  1. (in ancient Greece) a contest in which prizes were awarded in any of a number of events, as athletics, drama, music, poetry, and painting.
  2. (italics) Greek. (in ancient Greek drama) a formalized debate or argumentation, especially in comedy: usually following the proagon and preceding the parabasis.
  3. Literature. conflict, especially between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Origin of agon

First recorded in 1650–60, agon is from the Greek word agṓn struggle, contest
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for agon

Contemporary Examples of agon

Historical Examples of agon

  • I only wished that old Agon could have heard her, it would have frightened him.

    Allan Quatermain

    H. Rider Haggard

  • Endecagon, en-dek′a-gon, n. a plane figure of eleven sides—also Hendec′agon.

  • Agon saw this and hesitated, and then for the first time Nyleptha spoke in her soft sweet voice.

    Allan Quatermain

    H. Rider Haggard

  • Preceding her was Agon, the High Priest, arrayed in his most gorgeous vestments, and on either side were other priests.

    Allan Quatermain

    H. Rider Haggard

  • After our escape from Agon and his pious crew we returned to our quarters in the palace and had a very good time.

    Allan Quatermain

    H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for agon

agon

noun plural agones (əˈɡəʊniːz)
  1. (in ancient Greece) a festival at which competitors contended for prizes. Among the best known were the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Games

Word Origin for agon

C17: Greek: contest, from agein to lead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012