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Judging by its spelling and meaning, you might think that agita is simply a shortened version of agitation, but that's not the case. Both agitation and the verb it comes from, agitate, derive from Latin agere, meaning "to drive." Agita, which first appeared in American English in the mid-late 20th century, comes from a dialectical pronunciation of the Italian word acido, meaning "heartburn" or "acid," from Latin acidus. (Agita is also occasionally used in English with the meaning "heartburn.") For a while the word's usage was limited to New York City and surrounding regions, but the word became more widespread in the mid-1990s.
Synonyms
Examples of agita in a Sentence
Derek Saul, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
And in both cases, the shows are elevated by the surprising warmth and earnestness lurking under the unfurling agita.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2024
The convention caused a little agita for at least a few candidates who love Trump but face voters in November and hated to take time off from knocking on doors back home.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
The fly in the tomato sauce is DeVito, who cured every Giant fan’s agita with his zesty play after Jones went down.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for agita 
Dictionary Entries Near agita
Cite this Entry
“Agita.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agita. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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