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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.
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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

Historical Examples

  • 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
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Word Origin

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