agitator

The word 'agitator' has its roots in the Latin verb agere, meaning 'to drive, do, act'. Its frequentative form, agitare, intensified this meaning to 'to set in motion, stir up, drive to and fro'. The past participle stem agitat- was combined with the agent suffix -or to form the Latin noun agitator, literally 'one who sets things in motion'. This dual sense of physical stirring and inciting action traveled into English, where it first described a mechanical stirring device before acquiring its modern political connotation of a person who stirs up public feeling.

Structure: agitat (stirred) + or (agent suffix) - agitat: From Latin agitatus, the past participle stem of agitare meaning 'to drive, stir, set in motion'. It functions as the core verb root. - or: A Latin-derived agent noun suffix meaning 'a person or thing that does something'.