Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Agony

Agony ({not transcribed}) , noun

[Latin agonia, Greek {not transcribed}, orig. a contest, from {not transcribed}: compare French agonie. See Agon.]

1.
Violent contest or striving.
The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations. — Macaulay
2.
Pain so extreme as to cause writhing or contortions of the body, similar to those made in the athletic contests in Greece; and hence, extreme pain of mind or body; anguish; paroxysm of grief; specifically, the sufferings of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly. — Luke xxii. 44
3.
Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.
With cries and agonies of wild delight. — Pope
4.
The last struggle of life; death struggle.