different between agonist vs agony

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ????????? (ag?nist?s, “combatant, champion”).

Noun

agonist (plural agonists)

1. Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.
2. The muscle that contracts while the other relaxes.

   When bending the elbow, the biceps is the agonist.

3. (biochemistry, pharmacology) A molecule that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

   Acetylcholine is an agonist at the cholinergic receptor.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• agonist on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

14th century, via Old French [Term?] and Latin [Term?]; from Ancient Greek ?????? (ag?nía, “emulation, competition, struggle”), from ???? (ag?n, “contest”). Specifically of the struggle that precedes death (mortal agony) from the 1540s.

The sense of "extreme pain" from c. 1600.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?æ.??.ni?/

Noun

agony (countable and uncountable, plural agonies)

1. Extreme pain.
2. (biblical) The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
3. Violent contest or striving.
   • 1849, Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II, Chapter 10

     The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations.

4. Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.
5. The last struggle of life; death struggle.

Synonyms

• anguish, torment, throe, distress, pang, suffering
• See also Thesaurus:agony

Antonyms

• (extreme pain): ecstasy

Related terms

• agon
• agonal
• agonist, antagonist, protagonist
• agonistes
• agonize, agonise

Translations

Anagrams

• Goyan