ἀγών

See also: αγών, ἀγῶν, and ἄγων

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 6 August 2013

Etymology

Corresponding noun of Ancient Greek ἀγείρω (ageírō, “to gather”), with later senses from ἄγω (ágō, “to lead”) (though Beekes considers all senses to derive only from ἄγω (ágō)). For the former, compare Sanskrit गण (gaṇa, “troop, gang, flock, tribe, assembly, company”); Ancient Greek ᾰ̓γορᾱ́ (ăgorā́, “assembly”), Sanskrit ग्राम (grāma, “multitude, troop, assembly, collective”); Sanskrit आजि (ājí, “race, competition, battle”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.ɡɔ̌ːn/ → /aˈɣon/ → /aˈɣon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ɡɔ̌ːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈɡon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈɣon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈɣon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈɣon/

Noun

ᾰ̓γών • (ăgṓn) m (genitive ᾰ̓γῶνος); third declension

1. a gathering, an assembly
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 23.257–258:

     αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς αὐτοῦ λαὸν ἔρυκε καὶ ἵζανεν εὐρὺν ἀγῶνα

     autàr Akhilleùs autoû laòn éruke kaì hízanen eurùn agôna

     • Translation by A. T. Murray

       But Achilles stayed the folk even where they were, and made them to sit in a wide gathering

2. a contest, competition
3. a struggle
   • 108 CE, Arrian, Discourses of Epictetus 2.18.27-28:

     μέγας ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν, θεῖον τὸ ἔργον, ὑπὲρ βασιλείᾱς, ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίᾱς, ὑπὲρ εὐροίᾱς, ὑπὲρ ἀταραξίᾱς.

     mégas ho agṓn estin, theîon tò érgon, hupèr basileíās, hupèr eleutheríās, hupèr euroíās, hupèr ataraxíās.

     Great is the struggle, divine the task—to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility.

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓γών; τοῦ ᾰ̓γῶνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓γών ho ăgṓn	τὼ ᾰ̓γῶνε tṑ ăgône	οἱ ᾰ̓γῶνες hoi ăgônes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓γῶνος toû ăgônos	τοῖν ᾰ̓γώνοιν toîn ăgṓnoin	τῶν ᾰ̓γώνων tôn ăgṓnōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓γῶνῐ tôi ăgônĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓γώνοιν toîn ăgṓnoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓γῶσῐ / ᾰ̓γῶσῐν toîs ăgôsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓γῶνᾰ tòn ăgônă	τὼ ᾰ̓γῶνε tṑ ăgône	τοὺς ᾰ̓γῶνᾰς toùs ăgônăs
Vocative	ᾰ̓γών ăgṓn	ᾰ̓γῶνε ăgône	ᾰ̓γῶνες ăgônes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀγωνία (agōnía)
• ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai)
• ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs)

Descendants

• → Aramaic:
  • Classical Syriac: ܐܓܘܢܐ (ʾaggōnāʾ)
• → Old Armenian: ագոն (agon)
  • Armenian: ագոն (agon)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲱⲛ (agōn)
• → Greek: αγών (agón), αγώνας (agónas) (learned)
• → Latin: agon
  • → English: agon (“struggle”)
  • → German: Agon
  • Italian: agone
  • → Portuguese: ágon
  • → Translingual: (from genitive plural) Agonum

Further reading

• “ἀγών”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀγών”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀγών”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἀγών in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀγών in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἀγών in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἀγών”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G73 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • action idem, page 9.
  • arena idem, page 39.
  • argument idem, page 39.
  • athletic idem, page 49.
  • battle idem, page 65.
  • bet idem, page 76.
  • bout idem, page 91.
  • brawl idem, page 94.
  • case idem, page 116.
  • cause idem, page 118.
  • combat idem, page 144.
  • competition idem, page 151.
  • conflict idem, page 159.
  • contention idem, page 167.
  • contest idem, page 168.
  • crisis idem, page 184.
  • danger idem, page 194.
  • discussion idem, page 232.
  • disputation idem, page 238.
  • emulation idem, page 269.
  • encounter idem, page 271.
  • engagement idem, page 274.
  • field idem, page 317.
  • fight idem, page 318.
  • fray idem, page 343.
  • game idem, page 353.
  • hazard idem, page 389.
  • issue idem, page 461.
  • judgment idem, page 465.
  • lawsuit idem, page 480.
  • lists idem, page 494.
  • litigation idem, page 495.
  • match idem, page 517.
  • ordeal idem, page 578.
  • peril idem, page 607.
  • point idem, page 623.
  • quarrel idem, page 663.
  • question idem, page 665.
  • race idem, page 667.
  • ring idem, page 716.
  • risk idem, page 717.
  • rivalry idem, page 718.
  • scramble idem, page 741.
  • scuffle idem, page 743.
  • stake idem, page 809.
  • strife idem, page 825.
  • struggle idem, page 828.
  • suit idem, page 836.
  • tournament idem, page 884.
  • trial idem, page 893.
  • tribulation idem, page 894.
  • tug idem, page 900.
  • tussle idem, page 903.
  • undecided idem, page 912.
  • venture idem, page 947.
  • wager idem, page 959.
• ἀγών, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011