Actions speak louder than words.
Proverb
The proverb mentioned above has been in use since antiquity. Yet, its relevance even now cannot be doubted one bit.
There’s a huge difference between saying that you’ll do something than actually doing it. The effort required in speaking is much less compared to the sweat and toil that goes into the actual job. Therefore, the act of executing tasks contributed quite a few term to the English language.
The Latin word agere means to do, perform, set in motion or drive. Its hints are seen in the modern term agile, meaning being able to do things quickly or move fast and easily. For instance, if we say someone is as agile as a monkey, it means that they are as quick and fast as a monkey. Extending from it, agility is the ability to do things quickly and easily.
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Another word with similar roots is agent which refers to a person or thing that acts or does things on behalf of an individual or group. If you know someone who works as an insurance agent, it means he or she sells insurance on behalf of an insurance company. When prefixed with re-, we get the term reagent which means a substance that enables or plays a part in a chemical reaction.
In a similar vein, agency refers to a business or organisation that provides a particular service on behalf of another person, individual or group. An intelligence agency, for example, works on behalf of the government. Apart from the obvious meaning, it can also convey a sense of action or effect as in ‘The change in the rocks happened due to the agency of heat and pressure’. In a different context, it can also refer to the capacity of a person to act (teacher agency and student agency are both critical for effective education) or a medium/mediation (the dispute was settled through the agency of mutual friends).
The word agenda is also a descendant of the root word and means a plan or a list of things to do. Therefore, if it is said that a company has several items on the agenda for a meeting, it means that they will be discussing quite a few things to do. It can also mean an underlying ideological plan such as ‘The agenda of the opposition spokesperson is clear from his provocative speech’
Agitate is that child of the family who might seem adopted but isn’t. Deriving from the same root, it means to disturb someone or make them upset. If a political party talks of launching an agitation, it means that they are planning to drive people to action or campaign to arouse public concern.
Table Summary:
| Prefix | Word | Suffix | Meaning |
| Agile | Being able to do things quickly or move fast and easily | ||
| Agile | -ity | The ability to do things quickly and easily | |
| Agent | A person or thing that acts or does things on behalf of an individual or group | ||
| Re- | Agent | A substance that enables or plays a part in a chemical reaction | |
| Agency | A business or organization that provides a particular service on behalf of another person, individual or group. | ||
| Agenda | A plan or a list of things to do | ||
| Agitate | Disturb someone or make them upset; Campaign or drive people to action |
