Archaic or abbreviated form of 'against,' meaning in opposition to or in contact with.
From Old English 'ongegn' meaning opposite, this abbreviation appears in Middle English texts as scribes sought shortcuts, eventually standardizing to 'against' in modern English.
Medieval monks created 'agst' as shorthand when copying manuscripts by hand—this abbreviation reveals how hard it was to write before typewriters, and many modern abbreviations like 'vs.' and 'etc.' come from the same scribal efficiency tricks.
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