Agonists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of substances that bind to receptors and activate them, often used to mimic or enhance physiological effects
2. Individuals or agents that support or promote a particular action or response in a biological system
3. Compounds that facilitate responses in the body by attaching to specific sites on cells and triggering reactions

Etymology: "Agonists" is the plural of "agonist," and the word's journey begins on the athletic field and in the arena. Its ancient Greek ancestor, "agōnistēs," meant "combatant" or "champion," someone who competed for a prize in the games. Latin borrowed the term as "agōnista," and it passed into English from there, so the core idea of a contender locked in struggle is still present. The word is built on "agon," the Greek word for a contest or struggle, which also gave English "agony," though the two are related through that shared root rather than one being derived from the other. The suffix "-ist" marks a person who does or practises something. In pharmacology, the sense has shifted from a competitor in a contest to a substance that binds to a receptor and triggers the same response the body's own chemicals would.

Synonyms: activators, stimulators, promoters

Antonyms: antagonists