01 a. Acting; -- opposed to patient, or sustaining, action.
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1.
Acting; -- opposed to patient, or sustaining, action.[Archaic]
Entry
5 senses · 2 variants
Webster, 1913
Agent
02 n. One who exerts power, or has the power to act; an actor.
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1.
One who exerts power, or has the power to act; an actor.“Heaven made us agents, free to good or ill.” — Dryden.
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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.
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3.
An active power or cause; that which has the power to produce an effect, such as a physical, chemical, or medicinal agent; as, heat is a powerful agent.
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4.
a chemical substance having biological effects; a drug.(Biochem., Med.)