Third person singular present tense of 'agonize': to suffer extreme pain or mental distress, or to cause someone to suffer.
From Greek 'agonizesthai' meaning to struggle in combat or competition. The meaning broadened from physical struggle to emotional and psychological suffering.
In sports, an athlete 'agonizes' over a loss, but the word originally meant actual physical combat—we've basically kept the intensity of battlefield struggle but applied it to heartbreak and worry.
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