Agency
WordNet
noun
(1) How a result is obtained or an end is achieved
"A means of control"
"An example is the best agency of instruction"
"The true way to success"
(2) A business that serves other businesses
(3) An administrative unit of government
"The Central Intelligence Agency"
"The Census Bureau"
"Office of Management and Budget"
"Tennessee Valley Authority"
(4) The state of serving as an official and authorized delegate or agent
(5) The state of being in action or exerting power
"The agency of providence"
"She has free agency"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
< < (ppr. ), (cognate with French , see also ).
Noun
- The faculty of acting or of exerting power; the state of being in action; action; instrumentality.
- The superintendence and agency of Providence in the natural world. --Woodward.
- The office of an agent, or factor; the relation between a principal and his agent; business of one entrusted with the concerns of another.
- The place of business of an agent.
- A bond issued by a US government-backed entity, such as Fannie Mae.