a·gen·cy

[ey-juhn-see]
noun, plural a·gen·cies.
1.
an organization, company, or bureau that provides some service for another: a welfare agency.
2.
a company having a franchise to represent another.
3.
a governmental bureau, or an office that represents it.
4.
the place of business of an agent.
5.
Indian agency.
6.
an administrative division of a government.
7.
the duty or function of an agent.
8.
the relationship between a principal and his or her agent.
9.
the state of being in action or of exerting power; operation: the agency of providence.
10.
a means of exerting power or influence; instrumentality: nominated by the agency of friends.
Origin:
1650–60; < Medieval Latin agentia, equivalent to Latin ag- (root of agere to do, act, manage) + -entia -ency

Related forms
sub·a·gen·cy, noun, plural sub·a·gen·cies.
un·der·a·gen·cy, noun, plural un·der·a·gen·cies.

Synonyms
10. intercession, good offices.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To agency
00:10
Agency is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
agency (ˈeɪdʒənsɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -cies
1.  a business or other organization providing a specific service: an employment agency
2.  the place where an agent conducts business
3.  the business, duties, or functions of an agent
4.  action, power, or operation: the agency of fate
5.  intercession or mediation
6.  one of the administrative organizations of a government
 
[C17: from Medieval Latin agentia, from Latin agere to do]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

agency
1650s, "acting of an agent," from M.L. agentia, noun of state from L. agentem (nom. agens, gen. agentis), prp. of agere (see act). Meaning "establishment where business is done for another" first recorded 1861.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The federal consumer-protection agency is about to open for business.
Every major intelligence agency across the world does the exercise.
Yoga allows us to regain agency and to participate more fully in our lives.
Imagine an independent agency whose mandate is fiscal stability.
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