Agonia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term denoting intense physical or mental suffering, often associated with severe pain or distress in a critical state
2. A state of anguish or torment, particularly experienced at the end of life or during extreme emotional turmoil
3. Describing a profound struggle or suffering, either as a fleeting moment of distress or as prolonged misery

Etymology: Greek "agōn" meant a contest or gathering, especially an athletic competition or a public contest of any kind, and "agōnia" was the anxiety of an athlete or competitor straining toward victory. The sense of struggle was literal before it became emotional: "agōnia" described the effort and tension of a fight, and only gradually came to mean the pain that such a struggle could bring. The Greek word passed into Latin as "agonia," which Romans used for the mental strain of anxious uncertainty, and from there it reached English through Late Latin and Church Latin. In the Christian Gospels, the Greek "agōnia" describes Jesus in Gethsemane, and this scriptural use gave the word its association with intense mental and bodily suffering, which is the sense it carries in English today.

Synonyms: anguish, torment, suffering, distress, pain

Antonyms: comfort, peace, relief, ease, joy