Wordwyrt

agility

/əˈdʒɪləti/uh-JIH-luh-tee
/əˈdʒɪləti/uh-JIH-luh-tee

Meaningthe state of being nimble

Common meaning: quickness and ease of movement

Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ag-‘drive, urge, conduct’source
  2. Latinagere‘to drive’source
  3. Latinagilis‘nimble’source
  4. Englishagile‘quick and nimble’
  5. Englishformed in English from agileagility‘quickness and ease of movement’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from agile + -ity.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), AGENT, p.12 · scan

Source words

  • agere Latin · source word “to drive”

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