agon

[ ag-ohn, -on, ah-gohn ]

/ ˈæg oʊn, -ɒn, ɑˈgoʊn /

noun, plural a·go·nes [uh-goh-neez] /əˈgoʊ niz/.

(in ancient Greece) a contest in which prizes were awarded in any of a number of events, as athletics, drama, music, poetry, and painting.

(italics) Greek. (in ancient Greek drama) a formalized debate or argumentation, especially in comedy: usually following the proagon and preceding the parabasis.

Literature. conflict, especially between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for agon

Furthermore, this agon happens between the poems or plays or novels themselves, and not between the writers.
Compliments Are Nice, but Enough With the Cormac McCarthy Comparisons|William Giraldi|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
The next day was called the day of the “Cups”—there was a contest or agon of drinking.
Ancient Art and Ritual|Jane Ellen Harrison
Agon is still the ordinary Russian word for fire, the equivalent of the Latin ignis.
Russian Fairy Tales|W. R. S. Ralston

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
I only wished that old Agon could have heard her, it would have frightened him.
Allan Quatermain|H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for agon

agon

/ (ˈæɡəʊn, -ɡɒn) /

noun plural agones (əˈɡəʊniːz)

(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