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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary agent ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Medieval Latin agent-, agens,from Latin, present participle of agere to drive, lead, act, do; akin to Old Norse aka to travel in a vehicle, Greek agein to drive, lead DATE 15th century 1. one that acts or exerts power 2. a. something that produces or is capable of producing an effect :an active or efficient cause b. a chemically, physically, or biologically active principle 3. a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result 4. one who is authorized to act for or in the place of another: as a. a representative, emissary, or official of a government crown agent federal agent b. one engaged in undercover activities (as espionage) : spy secret agent c. a business representative (as of an athlete or entertainer) a theatrical agent 5. a computer application designed to automate certain tasks (as gathering information online) English Etymology agent 1. late 15c., "one who acts," from L. agentem (nom. agens, gen.agentis), prp. of agere "to set in motion, drive, lead, conduct" (see act). Meaning "any natural force or substance which produces a phenomenon" is first recorded 1570s. 2. A form expressing the notion "doer of action." Hunter is an agentnoun, and -er is an agentive suffix. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ agent agent / 5eidVEnt / noun1. a person whose job is to act for, or manage the affairs of, other people in business, politics, etc. (企业、政治等的)代理人,经纪人: an insurance agent 保险经纪人 Our agent in New York deals with all US sales. 我们在纽约的代理商经办在整个美国的销售。 ⇨ see also estate agent , land agent , travel agent 2. a person whose job is to arrange work for an actor, musician, sports player etc. or to find sb who will publish a writer's work (演员、音乐家、运动员、作家等的)代理人,经纪人: a theatrical / literary agent 剧院经纪人；文稿(出版)代理人 ⇨ see also press agent 3. = secret agent : an enemy agent 敌方特务 ⇨ see also double agent , special agent 4. (formal) a person or thing that has an important effect on a situation 原动力,动因(指对事态起重要作用的人、事物): The charity has been an agent for social change. 这个慈善机构一直推动社会变革。 5. (technical 术语) a chemical or a substance that produces an effect or a change or is used for a particular purpose (化学)剂: cleaning / oxidizing agents 去污剂；氧化剂 6. (grammar 语法) the person or thing that does an action (expressed as the subject of an active verb, or in a 'by' phrase with a passive verb) 施事者；施动者；行为主体—compare patient ⇨ see also free agent Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English agent noun 1 works in an agency ADJ. advertising, election, estate, insurance, land, letting, literary, managing, parliamentary, patent, press, publicity, travel | local The company has developed sales through local agents in key markets. VERB + AGENT employ, have, use I have an agent who deals with all my contracts. | appoint, engage, get (sb), hire If you want to get published, get yourself an agent! | act as | sack PREP. through an ~ She got the work through an agent. | ~ for an agent for a shipping company • Note at JOB 2 spy ADJ. intelligence | enemy, foreign | federal, government | secret, undercover | double As a double agent, he worked for the Americans and the Russians. VERB + AGENT work as 3 person/thing that has an effect ADJ. chief, main, primary, prime, principal | effective | human | moral, rational | free I told him I couldn't stop him, he was a free agent. PREP. ~ for The charity is an agent for social change. PHRASES an agent for/of change OLT agent noun ⇨ agent Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: insurance agent , or land agent , or law agent , or legislative agent , or local agent , or manufacturer's agent , or mercantile agent , or mill agent , or navy agent , or oxidizing agent , or parliamentary agent , or political agent , or press agent , or press-agent , or purchasing agent , or record agent , or recording agent , or reducing agent , or reinforcing agent , or road agent , or route agent , or sales agent , or selling agent , or special agent , or station agent , or addition agent , or surface-active agent , or survey agent , or ticket agent , or transfer agent , or travel agent , or universal agent , or blowing agent , or bodying agent , or wetting agent , or book agent , or agent orange , or alkylating agent , or free agent , or advance agent , or business agent , or wetting-out agent , or agent cipher , or agent code , or agent de change , or agent-general , or agent intellect , or agent middleman , or agent noun , or agent officer , or agent provocateur , or agricultural agent , or claim agent , or clearing agent , or clearinghouse agent , or consular agent , or county agent , or crown agent , or customer agent , or diplomatic agent , or employment agent , or estate agent , or extension agent, or federal reserve agent , or fiscal agent , or flatting agent , or foaming agent , or freight agent , or general agent , or house agent, or indian agent , or inquiry agentagent I. \ˈājənt\ noun (-s) Etymology: in sense 1, from Middle English, from Medieval Latin agent-, agens, from Latin, present participle; in senses 2, 3 & 4, from French or Latin; French, from Latin, present participle; in sense 5, from Late Latin & Medieval Latin, from Latin, present participle 1. a. : something that produces or is capable of producing a certain effect : an active or efficient cause : a force effecting or facilitating a certain result < the … emergence of the Christian church as the civilizing agentof the western world — Helen Sullivan > b. : a substance capable of producing a chemical reaction or a physical or biological effect : an active principle < chromic acid is an oxidizing agent > < detergents are surface-active agents or wetting agents > 2. a. : one that acts or exerts power (as by driving, inciting, or setting in motion) : a moving force < the distinction between agent and patient, between something which acts and some other thing which is acted upon — Francis Bowen > b. : a person who originates a telepathic impulse or message — compare percipient 3. : one that acts or performs an act (as an act involving reason, conscience, and free will) : a person responsible for his act or acts < for that same deed now at Lorenzo's church both agents, conscious and inconscious, lie — Robert Browning > 4. : a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result : a person governed, guided, or instigated by another in some action < where the heads of departments are the political or confidential agents of the executive, merely to execute the will of the president — John Marshall > 5. : one that acts for or in the place of another by authority from him: as a. : a representative, emissary, or official of a government < a crown agent > < an Indian agent > < a secret-service agent > b. : a special representative sent from one military organization to another to establish and maintain liaison c. : a field worker from a welfare bureau d. : a paid party worker who manages the financial and other affairs of a British political party during an election and is legally responsible for any corrupt practices e. : a business representative: as (1) : a manager of an assigned territory or a branch office or plant of an industry (2) : one that sells and rents real estate on a commission basis (3) : an independent sales or service representative of an insurance company usually paid on a commission basis Synonyms: see mean II. adjective Etymology: Latin agent-, agens, present participle of agere to drive, lead, act, do; akin to Old Norse aka to travel in a vehicle, Greek agein to lead, drive, Old Irish ad-aig to drive, Sanskrit ajati (he) goes, drives archaic : acting or exerting power — opposed to patient |
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