ago

See also: Ago, Ago., AGO, agó, aĝo, ägo, and -ago

English

Alternative forms

agoe, agon, agone, ygo, ygoe (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English ago, agon (“passed”), past participle of agon (“to depart, escape, pass”), from Old English āgān (“to go away, pass away, go forth, come to pass”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”), *gāną (“to go”), equivalent to a- +‎ gone, and by surface analysis, a- +‎ go. Cognate with German ergehen (“to come to pass, fare, go forth”). Compare also Old Saxon āgangan (“to go or pass by”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽 (usgaggan, “to go forth”).

Pronunciation

(General American) enPR: ə-gō', IPA^(key): /əˈɡoʊ/
(Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə-gō', IPA^(key): /əˈɡəʊ/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -əʊ

Adjective

ago (comparative more ago, superlative most ago)

(archaic or dialectal) Gone; gone by; gone away; passed; passed away.
in days ago / in days agone
(archaic or dialectal) Nearly gone; dead. (used in Devonshire at the turn of the 19th century)
Woe the day—she is agone!

Usage notes

Usually follows the noun.

Adverb

ago (not comparable)

Before the present time
When they first met in 2000, my dad told my mom how he had gotten the money. The story begins 20 years ago.

It was two weeks ago that I saw her last.

Preposition

ago

(used postpositively) Before now.
I got married ten years ago.
- 2013 August 10, “Damned if you don’t”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
  Two years ago a pair of scientists sparked fears of a devastating virus.

Derived terms

Translations

past; gone by; since

Albanian: parë (sq)
Arabic: قَبْلَ (ar) (qabla)
Egyptian Arabic: من (men)
Armenian: առաջ (hy) (aṙaǰ)
Asturian: hai (ast)
Azerbaijani: əvvəl (az), qabaq (az), bundan əvvəl, bundan qabaq
Bashkir: элек (elek)
Basque: orain dela, duela
Belarusian: таму́ (tamú)
Bulgarian: преди́ (bg) (predí)
Burmese: please add this translation if you can
Catalan: fa (ca)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 之前 (zi¹ cin⁴)

Mandarin: 以前 (zh) (yǐqián), 之前 (zh) (zhīqián)
Cornish: nans yw
Czech: před (cs) (used before the time)
Danish: for ... siden
Dutch: geleden (nl)
Esperanto: antaŭ (eo)
Estonian: tagasi (et)
Finnish: sitten (fi)
French: il y a (fr) (used before the time)
Galician: fai
Georgian: წინათ (c̣inat)
German: vor (de) (used before the time)
Greek: πριν (el) (prin)
Haitian Creole: de sa
Hebrew: לִפְנֵי (he) (lif'néi)
Hindi: पहले (hi) (pahle), बहुत पहले (bahut pahle)
Hungarian: (after the time) -val/-vel ezelőtt (e.g. egy órával ezelőtt: one hour ago), -a/-e/-ja/-je (e.g. egy órája: one hour ago)
Icelandic: fyrir (is)
Indonesian: yang lalu
Ingrian: takas
Irish: ó shin
Italian: fa (it)
Japanese: 前 (ja) (まえ, mae), 以前に (ja) (いぜんに, izen ni)
Khmer: មុន (km) (mʊn)
Korean: 전에 (ko) (jeone)
Ladino: aze, faze
Lao: please add this translation if you can
Latin: abhinc (la)
Latvian: pirms
Malay: lalu (ms), lepas (ms)
Malayalam: മുമ്പ് (ml) (mumpŭ)
Maltese: ilu
Mongolian: өмнө (mn) (ömnö)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: for ... siden

Nynorsk: for ... sidan
Occitan: a (oc)
Old English: for (used before the time)
Persian: پیش (fa) (piš), قبل (fa) (qabl)
Polish: (dawno) temu (pl), wcześniej (pl)
Portuguese: há (pt), atrás (pt), faz (pt)
Romanian: înainte cu, în urmă, acum (ro)
Russian: тому́ наза́д (ru) (tomú nazád), наза́д (ru) (nazád)
Scots: syne
Scottish Gaelic: o chionn, air ais
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: при̏је (Ijekavian), пре̏ (Ekavian)

Roman: prȉje (sh) (Ijekavian), prȅ (sh) (Ekavian)
Slovak: dozadu
Slovene: pred (sl)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: pśed (used before the time)
Spanish: hace (es) (used before the time), atrás (es) (used after the time), ha (es)
Swedish: för ... sedan
Thai: แล้ว (th) (lɛ́ɛo), ก่อน (th) (gɔ̀ɔn), แต่ก่อน (dtɛ̀ɛ-gɔ̀ɔn), ที่แล้ว (tîi-lɛ́ɛo)
Tibetan: སྔོན་ལ (sngon la)
Turkish: önce (tr)
Ukrainian: тому́ (uk) (tomú)
Vietnamese: trước đây (vi)
Welsh: yn ôl
West Frisian: lyn

Anagrams

GAO, oga, G.O.A., G. O. A., AOG, OAG, Gao, goa, OGA, Goa, GOA, Oga

Albanian

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish آغا (ağa) (compare Turkish ağa) or Greek άγιος (ágios).

Noun

ago m

(Gheg, archaic, poetic) god

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin agō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈaɡo/
Hyphenation: a‧go
Audio: (file)

Noun

ago (accusative singular agon, plural agoj, accusative plural agojn)

act, action

Synonyms

(action): agado

Derived terms

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin agō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈaɡo/

Noun

ago (plural agi)

act, action, deed

Synonyms

(action): agado

Derived terms

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin acus.

Noun

ago m

needle

Italian

Etymology

From earlier *aco, from Latin acus (“needle”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”). Compare Romanian ac.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈa.ɡo/
Rhymes: -aɡo
Hyphenation: à‧go
Audio: (file)

Noun

ago m (plural aghi)

needle
- 1947, Primo Levi, “Storia di dieci giorni”, in Se questo è un uomo [If This Is a Man], Torino: Einaudi, published 1987, →ISBN, page 190:
  Grazie alla mia ormai lunga esperienza delle cose del campo; ero riuscito a portare con me le mie cose personali: una cintura di fili elettrici intrecciati; il cucchiaio-coltello; un ago con tre gugliate; cinque bottoni; e infine, diciotto pietrine per acciarino che avevo rubato in Laboratoria.
  Thanks to my by now long experience with camp-related matters; I was able to bring with me my personal items: a belt made of braided electrical wires; the spoon-knife; a needle with three threads; five buttons; and lastly, eighteen flints for the lighter that I robbed from the Laboratory.

Derived terms

aghetto, aghino (diminutives)
ago di pino
agone (augmentative)

Related terms

aguglia (“compass needle”)

Anagrams

goa

Japanese

Romanization

ago

Rōmaji transcription of あご

Karipúna Creole French

FWOTD – 26 July 2013

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /aˈɡo/

Interjection

ago?

may I come in?

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *agō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti, from the root *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”)

Cognate with Old Irish aigid, Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō, “I lead”), Old Norse aka (“move, drive”), Avestan 𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (azaⁱti), Sanskrit अजति (ájati, “to drive, propel, cast”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ɡoː/, [ˈäɡoː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ɡo/, [ˈäːɡo]

Verb

agō (present infinitive agere, perfect active ēgī, supine āctum); third conjugation

to act, to behave
- Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, II Paralipomenon [2 Chronicles] 32:7:
  viriliter agite et confortamini nolite timere nec paveatis regem Assyriorum […]
  "Act strongly and be courageous. Do not fear nor tremble before the king of Assyria"
- 64 CE, Seneca the Younger, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium 94.6.1:
  ...doces illum quid sano faciendum sit, non efficis sanum. Pauperi ut agat divitem monstras: hoc quomodo manente paupertate fieri potest?
  ...you teach a man what a healthy man should do, but you don't make him healthy. You show the poor how to behave as a rich man: but if they remain poor, how can they do so?
to do
- c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitryon 2.1.1:
  [Amphitryon to Sosia:] age ī tū secundum
  Come, do follow after me!
  (literally, “Do thou walk after/following (me)!”)
- 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations 1.8:
  Nihil agis, nihil moliris, nihil cogitas quod non ego non modo audiam sed etiam videam planeque sentiam.
  You do nothing, you plan nothing, you think of nothing which I not only do not hear, but which I do not see and know every particular of.
- [1865, Ausonii Popmae frisii de differentiis verborum cum additamentis ab Hekelii, Richteri, Messerschmidii et Vallaurii
  Agere, Facere et Gerere hoc differunt, quod agere et corporis, et vocis, et mentis agitatum comprehendit. Facere tantum refertur ad opera, quae corpore efficimus; aliquando et pro consentire ponitur. His enim loquendi modis utebantur recte antiqui: mecum seu tecum faciam, hoc est, mecum seu tecum consentiam. Gerere est muneris et oneris...]
to make (something that does not continue to exist after the maker stops)
to negotiate, discuss, confer, talk with one about a person or thing
to effect, accomplish, achieve
to treat, to deal
to act, play, perform (e.g., a role in a play)
to perform, transact, conduct, manage (e.g. business, affairs)
to administer, direct, guide, govern
- 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.574:
  “Trōs Tyriusque mihī nūllō discrīmine agētur.”
  “Trojan and Tyrian shall be governed [alike], with no difference to me.” – Queen Dido
to drive (sense of providing an impetus for motion), impel, move, push, put in motion
- 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita I.12:
  Mettius Curtius [...] ab arce decucurrerat et effusos egerat Romanos
  Mettius Curtius [..] had run down from the citadel, and driven the Romans in disorder
to conduct, drive (sense of providing governance to motion)
- 1877, Sophocles (in translation), Electra, in Aeschyli et Sophoclis: Tragoediae et Fragmenta (Paris: Institutiae Franciae Typographo)
  Intereā Orestēs postrēmus omnium ultimō locō equōs agēbat, in fīne certam spem victōriae ponēns.
  "Meanwhile, Orestes had been driving in last place and holding his horses back, putting his trust in the finish."
to discuss, debate, deliberate (used in civil, political and legal contexts)
(law) to plead
to think upon; to be occupied with
- 8 CE, Ovid, The Heroines XII.208–212:
  ingentis parturit ira minas. / Quo feret ira, sequar! facti fortasse pigebit — / Et piget infido consuluisse viro. / Viderit ista deus, qui nunc mea pectora versat! / Nescio quid certe mens mea maius agit!
  Tremndous anger abounds with threat. / I’ll follow where anger carries me. Perhaps I’ll regret my deeds: / I regret having given thought to the interests of an unfaithful husband. / Let the god see to that, which churns within my heart. / Assuredly, I don't know what occupies my mind more greatly!
to aim at, to get at (generally in the subjunctive mood and preceded by ut, and so meaning: "that to might achieve...")
to stir up, excite, cause, induce
to disturb, agitate, afflict, upset, vex
- 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.465–466:
  [...] Agit ipse furentem / in somnīs ferus Aenēās [...].
  [...] In her nightmares, angry Aeneas himself afflicts [Dido] in her madness, [...].
  (Ambiguity: Other interpretations include drives, chases, or harasses.)
to lead, drive (e.g., livestock)
to chase, pursue
to drive at, pursue (a course of action)
to rob, steal, plunder, carry off
(of time) to pass, spend, lead
(of offerings) to slay, kill (as a sacrifice)
(of plants) to put forth, sprout, extend
(law) to hold (a court)
(passive voice) to go on, to take place, to be at issue

Usage notes

Ago renders a sense of doing or making which is continuative or behavioral. For a sense of a specific instance or occasion of doing or making, see facio. For a sense of doing or making which is yet more continuative, see agito and gero.

According to Döderlein, another difference between ago and facio when they mean "make" is that ago typically has to do with making something that does not continue after the "actor" stops doing the action; whereas with facio, the object continues to exist after the maker has made the thing. In other words, ago is temporal, whereas facio is spatial.

Conjugation

Conjugation of agō (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	agō	agis	agit	agimus	agitis	agunt
	imperfect	agēbam	agēbās	agēbat	agēbāmus	agēbātis	agēbant
	future	agam	agēs	aget	agēmus	agētis	agent
	perfect	ēgī	ēgistī	ēgit	ēgimus	ēgistis	ēgērunt, ēgēre
	pluperfect	ēgeram	ēgerās	ēgerat	ēgerāmus	ēgerātis	ēgerant
	future perfect	ēgerō	ēgeris	ēgerit	ēgerimus	ēgeritis	ēgerint
passive	present	agor	ageris, agere	agitur	agimur	agiminī	aguntur
	imperfect	agēbar	agēbāris, agēbāre	agēbātur	agēbāmur	agēbāminī	agēbantur
	future	agar	agēris, agēre	agētur	agēmur	agēminī	agentur
	perfect	āctus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	āctus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	āctus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	agam	agās	agat	agāmus	agātis	agant
	imperfect	agerem	agerēs	ageret	agerēmus	agerētis	agerent
	perfect	ēgerim	ēgerīs	ēgerit	ēgerīmus	ēgerītis	ēgerint
	pluperfect	ēgissem	ēgissēs	ēgisset	ēgissēmus	ēgissētis	ēgissent
passive	present	agar	agāris, agāre	agātur	agāmur	agāminī	agantur
	imperfect	agerer	agerēris, agerēre	agerētur	agerēmur	agerēminī	agerentur
	perfect	āctus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	āctus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	age	—	—	agite	—
active	future	—	agitō	agitō	—	agitōte	aguntō
passive	present	—	agere	—	—	agiminī	—
passive	future	—	agitor	agitor	—	—	aguntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		agere	ēgisse	āctūrum esse	agī	āctum esse	āctum īrī
participles		agēns	—	āctūrus	—	āctus	agendus, agundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		agendī	agendō	agendum	agendō	āctum	āctū

Synonyms

(accomplish): perficio, conficio, fungor, defungor, efficiō, perfero, absolvo, expleo, exsequor, gero, nāvō, perpetrō, conclūdō, condō, peragō, inclūdō, claudō, cumulō, prōflīgō, trānsigō, impleō, exhauriō
(conduct, drive): duco, deduco, traduco, veho, portō, produco
(stir): percieō, concieō, cieō, molior, perpello
(rob, steal): āmoveō, rapiō, fraudō, abdūcō, dīripiō, ēripiō, adimō, rapiō, corripiō, auferō, āvertō, tollō, praedor
(plunder): dēpraedor, praedor, dīripiō, populor, expugnō, trahō
(discuss): colloquor, disserō
(disturb): fatīgō, turbō, perturbō, sollicitō, īnfestō, irrītō, stimulō, agitō, angō, peragō, disturbō, ēvertō, concitō, moveō, versō, ūrō
(pursue): exsequor, persequor, sequor, īnsector, premō, īnstō, apīscor
(pass time): dēgō, cōnsūmō, trānsmittō, terō, tollō, eximō, trādūcō

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “disturb”): cōnsōlor

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Danish: agere
→ Dutch: ageren
→ English: act
→ French: agir (see there for further descendants)
→ German: agieren
→ Ido: agar
→ Occitan: agir
→ Swedish: agera

Lolopo

Etymology

From Proto-Loloish *go¹ (Bradley). Cognate with Burmese အစ်ကို (ackui).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ʔa³³ko³³]

Noun

ago

(Yao'an) elder brother

Maranao

Etymology

Akin to Cebuano ug.

Conjunction

ago

and

Samoan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *aŋo, from Proto-Oceanic *yaŋo. Cognate with Tongan ango.

Noun

ago

turmeric

Usage notes

Once cooked, it is called lega.

References

Tyron, Darell (1994) “Oceanic plant names”, in A.K. Pawley and M.D. Ross, editors, Austronesian Terminologies: Continuity and Change, Caberra, Australia: Australian National University, →ISBN, page 493

Ternate

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈa.ɡo]

Noun

ago

a kind of root crop

Võro

Etymology

Of disputed origin; cognate to Estonian agu.

Noun

ago (genitive ao, partitive ako)

twilight

Inflection

Inflection of ago

	singular	plural
nominative	ago	aoq
accusative	ao	aoq
genitive	ao	akõ aka
partitive	ako	akõ aka
illative	akko	akkõ akkõhe akka akkahe
inessive	aon aohn	akõn akan akõhn akahn
elative	aost	akõst akast
allative	aolõ	akõlõ akalõ
adessive	aol	akõl akal
ablative	aolt	akõlt akalt
translative	aos	akõs akas
terminative	aoniq	akõniq akaniq
abessive	aoldaq	akõldaq akaldaq
comitative	aogaq	akõgaq akagaq

Derived terms

Yoruba

Yoruba phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /à.ɡò/

Interjection

àgò!

excuse me, hello, an interjection used to get the attention of the addressee
àgò onílé yìí o! ― Hello to the owners of this house!

Derived terms

kágò (“to greet 'hello'”)
yàgò (“move out of the way, excuse me”)

Related terms

dákun (“excuse me”)
yẹra (“to move out the way for someone”)

Etymology 2

Compare with Olukumi agó, Itsekiri ẹgó, Igala àgó, Ayere úgó (“navel”). Proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruba *à-gó, from Proto-Edekiri *à-gó, ultimately from Proto-Yoruboid *à-gó. It is unclear if this word was used in Standard Yoruba as there are few texts that cite its existence in Standard Yoruba. It is possible that the word had become long obsolete in Standard Yoruba.

Alternative forms

ẹgó (Gbẹdẹ)
ògó (Iyagba)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /à.ɡó/

Noun

àgó or agó

(anatomy, Ondo, Ikalẹ, Eastern Akoko, Ọwọ) hip, waist
Synonyms: bèbèrè ùdí, ìbàdí, ẹ̀gbẹ́, bèbè, ìgbaròkó

Coordinate terms

bèbè (“waist beads”)

ago

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Usage notes

Adverb

Preposition

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

Noun

Esperanto

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Synonyms

Derived terms

Ido

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Synonyms

Derived terms

Istriot

Etymology

Noun

Italian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Anagrams

Japanese

Romanization

Karipúna Creole French

Pronunciation

Interjection

Further reading

Latin

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Usage notes

Conjugation

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Further reading

Lolopo

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Maranao

Etymology

Conjunction

Samoan

Etymology

Noun

Usage notes

References

Ternate

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Võro

Etymology

Noun

Inflection

Derived terms

Yoruba