ag-, agen-, act-, agi-, agit-

1. That which excites and often troubles the mind or feelings of; disturbing.
2. Someone who discusses excitedly and earnestly.
3. Anything that provokes, or stirs up, public discussion of a condition or situation.

Causing or tending to cause anger or resentment.

1. A person who tries to stir up people in support of a social or political cause: often used in an unfavorable sense.
2. An apparatus for shaking or stirring, as in a washing machine.

1. Someone or that which shakes or moves irregularly.
2. A reference to anything, or anyone, that strives or tends to excite or endeavors to excite; such as as people.

A female agitator.

1. A condition in which someone writes with great rapidity, leaving out words or parts of words.
2. Writing with excessive rapidity, with unconscious ommision of words and syllables.

1. In medicine, a condition in which one writes with great rapidity, leaving out words or parts of words.
2. Hasty writing, with unconscious omission of words, syllables, or letters frequently associated with agitophasia.

Abnormally rapid speech in which words are imperfectly spoken or dropped out of a sentence; also agitophasia.

Abnormally rapid speech in which words are imperfectly spoken or dropped out of a sentence; also agitolalia.

Agitato vase, the vial being shaken.

The reaction of the sputum to tests for albumin.

The presence of albumin (positive reaction) is indicative of pulmonary inflammation.

1. A situation in which something can be understood in more than one way and it is not clear which meaning is intended.
2. An expression or statement that has more than one meaning.
3. Causing uncertainty or confusion.

1. Open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: "She gave us an ambiguous answer instead of a clear explanation."
2. Of a doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, to distinguish, or to classify: "We found a rock with ambiguous features."
3. Lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: "With all of the wars going on, we seem to have an ambiguous future."
4. Etymology: from Latin ambiguus, "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful"; derived from ambigere, "to dispute about"; literally, "to wander"; from ambi-, "about" + agere, "to drive, to lead, to act".

Ambivalent refers to people and their attitudes while ambiguous refers to something said or written.

Word History

Latin amb-, "about, around," combined with agere, "to drive", formed ambigere, literally, "to drive around, to waver". Out of this word grew the Latin ambiguus, "hesitating, uncertain". English borrowed it as ambiguous, with the meaning "equivocal, capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses, vague."

1. In an ambiguous manner or capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.
2. Etymology: a descriptive term derived from ambigere, "to dispute about"; literally, "to wander" from ambi-, "about" + agere, "to drive, to lead, to act".

1. The state or quality of being ambiguous, or being open to multiple interpretations.
2. Characterized by being vague and unclear.