Meaning & use
agora
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
The open public space at the center of an ancient Greek city, used for markets, meetings and public debate.
Grammar: Usually written with the or a place name: the agora of Athens.
Patterns
- the agora of somewhere
Citizens of Athens met in the agora to trade goods and argue about politics.
Tourists can still walk through the ruins of the ancient agora.
Socrates is said to have talked with people in the agora.
nouncountablefigurativeformal
Any public meeting place or marketplace where people gather to trade ideas or goods.
Grammar: A figurative use, often for the internet: a digital agora.
Patterns
- a digital agora
Some writers describe social media as a modern agora.
The festival turned the town square into an agora of ideas.
The university hoped to create an agora where students and residents could talk.
nouncountabletechnical
A unit of money in Israel, worth one hundredth of a shekel.
Grammar: The plural is agorot; it is used in discussing Israeli money.
The coin was worth fifty agorot.
Prices in the shop were listed in shekels and agorot.
Word forms
| plural | agoras |
|---|---|
| plural | agorae |
Common combinations
- the Athenian agora
- Archaeologists have uncovered shops in the Athenian agora.
- in the agora
- Merchants shouted their prices in the agora.
- an ancient agora
- An ancient agora lies beneath the modern town.
- a digital agora
- The forum became a digital agora for the community.
- the agora of ideas
- Universities should be an agora of ideas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- forum
- This is the Roman equivalent of the agora, and it is also the usual modern word for a place or website for open discussion.
- marketplace
- This stresses buying and selling, whereas the agora was also a place for politics and social life.
- plaza
- This is a general word for an open public square, with no ancient or political overtone.
- town square
- This is a plain modern term for a central public space, whereas agora suggests ancient Greece.
Word family
- agoraphobia noun
- a fear of open or crowded places
- agoraphobic adjective
- afraid of open or public spaces
Commonly confused: agora or agorot? agora or acropolis?
agora vs agorot
Agorot is the plural of the Israeli coin agora and has no link to the ancient Greek square apart from the spelling.
agora vs acropolis
The acropolis was the fortified hilltop of a Greek city, while the agora was the open public square below it.
Practice
In ancient Athens, citizens gathered in the ____ to shop, trade news and discuss politics.
Choose one answer.
The agora was the public square for markets and talk. The acropolis was a hilltop citadel, an amphitheater was for shows, and an aqueduct carried water.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “agora”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.