/ ˈægəni; NAmE / noun
( pl. -ies ) [ U , C ] extreme physical or mental pain :
Jack collapsed in agony on the floor.
It was agony not knowing where the children were.
She waited in an agony of suspense.
The worst agonies of the war were now beginning.
Tell me now! Don't prolong the agony (= make it last longer).
•
IDIOMS
see pile verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally denoting mental anguish alone): via Old French and late Latin from Greek agōnia , from agōn contest. The sense of physical suffering dates from the early 17th cent.