Etymologically
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agent

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.ʒɑ̃/[1]

Forms

agent m (plural agents, feminine agente)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin agēns (“one who acts”), the scholastic use as a noun of the present participle of Latin agō (“to do, act”) (see agir).[2][3][4][5][6] The sense “person acting for another” was strengthened in the 16th century by Italian agente, of the same origin, Bloch and Wartburg and the Petit Robert treat it as a separate borrowing from Italian, which Henri Estienne in 1578 called newly come from Italy.[2][3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a legal record of 1337 it is an adjective, agent à with an infinitive, “acting to”: aidans, agens et consentans “helping, acting and consenting”, Rey has the noun from 1332.[8][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In philosophy it was the acting being or efficient cause (1370, Oresme), later anything producing an effect, as in agent naturel (1690) and agent chimique (1835).[2][9] The sense “envoy, diplomat” (1578) gave agent diplomatique (1804) and agent consulaire (1835), and business gave agent de change “stockbroker” (1639) and agent d'affaires (1835).[2]

The French Revolution created the agent de police (1797), simply agent by 1913, agent secret (1825), agent provocateur (1829) and agent double followed.[2] The feminine agente is common in Geneva and Quebec.[2]

Timeline

  • 1337 – Adjective agent à, in a legal record.[8]
  • 1370 – The acting cause, in philosophy.[2]
  • 1578 – “Envoy”, after Italian agente.[3][2]
  • 1639 – Agent de change.[2]
  • 1797 – Agent de police.[2]
  • 1825 – Agent secret.[2]
  • 1829 – Agent provocateur.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (philosophy, grammar) The one who acts, as opposed to the one acted upon: complément d'agent.[7][5]
  2. Something that acts or produces an effect; a force or substance: agents atmosphériques, agent pathogène.[7]
  3. An agent, representative acting for a person, group or country.[7]
  4. An employee of a public service or a company: agent d'entretien, agent de change, a stockbroker.[7][2]
  5. A police officer: agent de police, monsieur l'agent.[2]
  6. A spy: agent secret, agent double.[2]

Word family

  • agence

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 258b
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette