A"gent , n.
1. One who
exerts power, or has the power
to act; an actor.
Heaven made us agents, free to good or ill.
Dryden.
2. One who acts for, or
in the place of, another, by authority from him; one intrusted with the business of another; a substitute; a deputy; a factor.
3. An active power or cause; that which has the
power to produce an effect; as, a
physical, chemical, or medicinal agent; as, heat is a powerful agent.
A"gent (&?;), a. [L. agens, agentis, p. pr.
of agere to act; akin to
Gr. &?; to lead, Icel. aka
to drive, Skr. aj.
√2.]
Acting; -- opposed to patient, or sustaining, action. [Archaic] "The body agent." Bacon.
Hear it pronounced