agency

Wikipedia

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin agentia, from Latin agens (present participle of agere (“to act”)), agentis (cognate with French agence, see also agent).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.dʒən.si/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

agency (plural agencies)

1. The capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power; action or activity; operation.

   The superintendence and agency of Providence in the natural world. --Woodward.

2. A person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved: instrumentality, means.
3. The office or function of an agent; also, the relationship between a principal and that person's agent.
4. An establishment engaged in doing business for another; also, the place of business or the district of such an agency.
5. A department or other administrative unit of a government; also, the office or headquarters of, or the district administered by such unit of government.

   Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

   Central Intelligence Agency

Synonyms

• action
• operation
• efficiency
• instrumentality
• management

Derived terms

• dating agency
• employment agency
• escort agency
• introduction agency
• news agency
• press agency
• relief agency
• syndication agency
• travel agency

Related terms

• act
• action
• agent

Translations

faculty of acting or of exerting power

• Bulgarian: действие (bg) (dejstvie), въздействие (bg) (vǎzdejstvie)
• Catalan: agència f
• Dutch: macht (nl), kracht (nl)
• Finnish: toiminta (fi)

• German: Wille (de) m, Agency (de) (philosophy), Handlungsfähigkeit f (philosophy)
• Russian: действие (ru) n (déjstvije), воздействие (ru) n (vozdéjstvije)
• Serbo-Croatian: посредство n (posredstvo)
• Spanish: albedrío (es) m, agency (es) (philosophy), agencia (es) f (philosophy)

agent — see agent

office of an agent, or factor

• Bulgarian: посредничество (bg) (posredničestvo), агентство (bg) (agentstvo)
• Catalan: agència f
• Dutch: bureau (nl)
• Finnish: edustus (fi), agentuuri

• Irish: gníomhaireacht f
• Russian: агентство (ru) n (agéntstvo)
• Turkish: acentelik (tr)

relation between a principal and his agent

• Finnish: edustus (fi), agentuuri

business of one entrusted with the concerns of another

• Finnish: edustus (fi), agentuuri

place of business of an agent

• Arabic: وكالة f (wakaala)
• Bulgarian: агенция (bg) (agencija)
• Catalan: agència f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 機構 (zh), 机构 (zh) (jīgòu)

• Czech: kancelář (cs) f, agentura (cs) f
• Esperanto: agentejo
• Finnish: toimisto (fi), agentuuri
• French: agence (fr) f, action (fr) f, organisme (fr) m
• German: Agentur (de) f
• Hebrew: סוכנות f (sokhnut)
• Irish: gníomhaireacht f
• Italian: agenzia (it) f

• Japanese: 代理店 (だいりてん, dairiten)
• Korean: 대리점 (ko) (daerijeom)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: byrå

• Persian: آژانس (fa) (âžâns)
• Polish: agencja (pl) f
• Portuguese: agência (pt) f
• Romanian: agenție (ro) f, agentură (ro) f
• Russian: агентство (ru) n (agéntstvo)
• Serbo-Croatian: агенција f (agencija)
• Spanish: oficina (es) f, agencia (es) f
• Tagalog: ahensya
• Vietnamese: cơ quan (vi)

government office

• Finnish: virasto (fi), toimisto (fi)

• Galician: axencia (gl) f

bond issued by a US government-backed entity

• Finnish: velkakirja (fi)

External links

• agency in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913