An Agent Is Simply One Who Does
An agent acts on behalf of someone else. The Latin verb agere, to do or drive, is one of the most productive roots in English.
An agent acts on behalf of another, or is any active cause. The Latin *agere* meant to do, drive or lead, and English is full of its descendants: *act*, *action*, *agenda* (things to be done), *agile*, *agitate*, *exact*, *examine*, *navigate* and *ambiguous* — literally driving both ways.
- A representative. *A literary agent.*
- An active cause. *A cleaning agent.*
- A spy. *A foreign agent.*
- Estate agent (British) — a property seller. *An estate agent's board.*
- Agency — the ability to act, or a firm. *A sense of agency.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | agent | A booking agent. |
| Plural | agents | Two agents. |
| Abstract | agency | A travel agency. |
| Verb | act | Act quickly. |
| Latin | agere | To do. |
- Her agent negotiated the contract.Representation.
- Water is the agent of erosion here.Cause.
- A sense of agency matters in recovery.Psychology.
The agere family
- Agenda — things that must be done
- Agile — quick to move
- Agitate — to drive about
- Exact — to drive out, hence to demand
- Ambiguous — driving both ways
Latin *agens*, the present participle of *agere*, to do or drive. English took it in the 1400s.
What does agency mean in psychology?
The sense that you can act and influence what happens to you, rather than only being acted upon.
Is agenda singular or plural?
It was a Latin plural but is now singular in English, with the plural agendas.