Agitation
/ˌædʒɪˈteɪʃən/noun
A state of nervous excitement or unrest; also the act of stirring or disturbing.
Did you know?Agitation ultimately comes from the Latin verb *agitāre*, a frequentative form of *agere* (“to drive, do, set in motion”), so the word’s oldest energy is literally movement turned into disturbance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eǵ-
“to drive, lead, move”
Latin
Latin
agere
“to drive, lead, set in motion, do”
Latin
Latin
agitāre
“to drive about, stir up, disturb; to keep moving”
Late Latin
Latin
agitatio
“a driving about, stirring, disturbance”
14th–16th Century
French/English
agitation
“the act of shaking or stirring; later, mental or political unrest”
Modern English
English
agitation
“restless excitement, disturbance, or active campaigning”